Yuji Naka – Bio, Net Worth, Age, Wife, Family, Facts, Height, Career

Yuji Naka is a Japanese video game programmer, designer, and producer who is renowned for being the former head of the Sega studio Sonic Team, where he was the lead programmer of the original Sonic the Hedgehog series on the Sega Mega Drive. Naka also led the development of games including Nights into Dreams (1996), Burning Rangers (1998), Sonic Adventure (1998), and three games in the Phantasy Star franchise (1987-2000). He was also the founder and president of his indie game company Prope. He had also worked under Square Enix to direct Balan Wonderworld (2021). In April 2022, Naka participated in the first round of the Elise Super Tech competition at the Mobility Resort Motegi circuit, finishing 7th place.

What is Yuji Naka Famous For?

• Being a video game programmer, designer, and producer.
• Being the founder and president of his indie game company Prope.

Where is Yuji Naka From?

Yuji Naka took birth on 17th September 1965. He is from Hirakata, Osaka, Japan. He holds Japanese nationality and his ethnicity is Japanese-White. His present age is 56 as of 2021. His zodiac sign is Virgo. Yuji has not mentioned details about his parents and siblings to the media. He learned how to program by replicating and debugging video game code printed in magazines. After graduating from high school, he decided not to enroll in university and stayed in his hometown.

Source: @youtube

Why did Yuji Naka quit Sega?

• In April 1984, Naka started working for Sega. His first task was designing maps and checking floppy disks for Road Runner for the SF-7000. 
• His first major project was Girl’s Garden.
• His abilities as a programmer were further demonstrated in 1987 for his work on Phantasy Star for the Master System. 
• After that, he was asked by game designer Hirokazu Yasuhara to assist artist Naoto Oshima in creating a game to showcase Sega’s new mascot Sonic the Hedgehog.
• Following this, he reportedly quit Sega, with sources citing that he was demoralized by the lack of recognition he received within the company after the game’s success.
• He was then joined by Yasuhara and several other Japanese developers as they relocated to California.
• After that, he was joined by American developers and he began development on Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
• In 1992, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released. 
• A Japanese-only team was formed and led by Naka as they worked on Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) and Sonic & Knuckles (1994).
• Also, he became the head of Sega’s Consumer Development Department 3, also known as CS3. 
• He next acquainted himself with Sega’s upcoming console, the Sega Saturn, and laid the groundwork for what would be his team’s next projects Nights Into Dreams (1996) and Burning Rangers (1998).
• Naka directed the game; Sonic Team’s “Chu Chu Rocket” (1999), an action-puzzle game and the first game for the system to support online console gaming.
• His team also developed the “Phantasy Star Online”.
• Later, he was appointed as the CEO of the company, SONICTEAM, Ltd. 
• In 2001, all of Sega’s semiautonomous entities were reabsorbed, including Naka’s Sonic Team. 
• Due to this, he remained as an executive officer, overseeing all of Sega’s output until his departure in 2006.
• On 16th March 2006, he announced that he would leave Sega to create his own game studio, Prope. 
• Naka and Prope then developed multiple small titles for the Nintendo Wii and mobile devices such as Wii Play: Motion and Ivy The Kiwi?. 
• In 2012, Kadokawa Games opted to create a version for the Nintendo Wii U version. Next, Kadokawa Games released Rodea The Sky Soldier on the 3DS and Wii U in November 2015, while packaging Naka and Prope’s Wii version as a bonus bundled with the initial print of the Wii U version. 
• In January 2018, he joined Square Enix. 
• Later, Yuji Naka and Naoto Oshima utilized Oshima’s development studio Arzest to develop this project.
• He announced he was working on a game for the company called “Balan Wonderworld” in September 2019. 
• Next, he revealed that he was no longer working at Square Enix, and said that he was considering retirement. 
• In April 2022, he announced that he had sued Square Enix. According to Naka, he was removed from his seat on the game following disagreements over the game’s stability. 
• On 22nd December 2021, he released a free mobile game, “Shot2048”, similar to the games “2048” and “Chain Cube”.

Who is Yuji Naka Wife?

Yuji Naka is a married man to his beautiful wife. The duo is also blessed with two children. He has not mentioned his wife’s details and their wedding date as he is a very secretive man as well. Today, they are enjoying their present life happily. His sexual orientation is straight and he is not gay. 

How much is Yuji Naka Net Worth?

Yuji Naka is a talented video game programmer, producer, and designer by profession who has made a cool amount of money from his profession. The net worth of Yuji Naka is estimated to have between $1 Million – $5 Million as of 2022 as per sources. Whereas his exact salary is still to get disclosed yet. His main source of wealth comes from his game programming and design career. He is living a lavish lifestyle today. 

How tall is Yuji Naka?

Yuji Naka is a handsome man with a height of 1.66 m and his well-maintained body measures 66 KG. His body type is average. He also wears a spectacle which perfectly suits him. His hair color is black and his eye color is brown. Overall, he has got a healthy body.