Sonic creator Yuji Naka could face more than two years in prison

Update: A correction on the following story. It is reported that Yuji Naka has not yet been officially sentenced. His defense has requested a suspended prison sentence and a reduced fine. The final verdict will be pronounced on July 7, 2023.

Original story: Yuji Naka, the creator of Sonic the Hedgehog and the face of the infamously broken Child Wonderland, has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to insider trading charges. In addition, he has twice been fined 2.5 million yen and 170 million yen, or slightly less than $1.5 million, all told (although Naka’s defense team is trying to reduce that amount).

As reported by Denfanminicogamer.jp (thanks, the gamer), in the specific case of Naka, it was alleged that he bought stock in two developers using privileged and confidential information to make purchases before the public announcement of new games. For the full picture, check out our coverage from late last year here.