Yuji Naka:Im free from Sonic The hedgehog

[ROJM]

Yuji Naka cemented his name in the history of video games by programming the original Sonic the Hedgehog. But Naka, once defined by his time at Sega, has now been outside of the company for nearly six years, after forming his own studio, Prope. And it seems he couldn't be happier.

"One of the reasons I left Sega was, if I stayed there, I would have had to just make Sonic games," he told Polygon in an interview at Prope's Tokyo headquarters. "Right now I don't have to make Sonic anymore, so I'm enjoying that freedom a lot."

Since his departure from Sega, Naka has explored that level of freedom with a pretty wide-ranging selection of titles, ranging from Let's Tap, an odd rhythm-based party game that required a cardboard box, to Ivy the Kiwi?, an adorable sidescroller whose similarities to Sonic end the moment you start playing the game.

One of the reasons I left Sega was, if I stayed there, I would have had to just make Sonic games
More recently, Naka has started delving into mobile games, creating six iOS titles in the last three years.

"Right now I can create a game without any limitations or dealing with any outside company," he explained, extolling the benefits of not needing a publisher to put a game out on mobile. But he also acknowledges the challenges with mobile games, saying that there are "people who are new to creating games also putting out their games in the exact same market."

Many of those competitors in the mobile space seem to focus on less gameplay-oriented experiences, opting for automatic progress instead of requiring skill. Naka's mobile titles, though, seem cut from the cloth that made him so well-known in the first place.

"The reason my games are actually [skill-based] is probably because I'm a creator from the old days," he said. "I understand the importance of action. Of winning and losing, and how your emotion moves when you win or lose while you're playing the game. That's why I want to create games where you gain that experience."

He admits, though, that the demand for skill-based games in the mobile space isn't always there.

"A lot of people don't want that kind of mobile game. Maybe they just want a simple, press-one-button-to-proceed game? That's a very sad fact. Right now I'm not sure what's going to happen in the game industry. Is it going to go back to how it was or go with the flow of this social gaming trend? I'm not sure what's going to happen. But I want to keep on creating my type of games, no matter what."

It's that level of choice that comes from running your own company, rather than being under the shadow of a major publisher. And Naka says there are plenty of major game developers still under that shadow.

"Like with Nintendo: Miyamoto has been making Mario games. He's under that too. He has to keep on making Mario games. [Eiji] Aonuma has to keep making Zelda games. [Hideo] Kojima has to make Metal Gear games. I wish he could take that off of everyone's shoulders so they could create other stuff, like new stuff. Because that's healthier for the industry. Movie directors create all sorts of movies, and the movie industry is healthy. I wish the game industry was like that as well."

It does seem, however, that even with the freedom of running his own company, a part of Yuji Naka remains in the past, hoping to match his most well-known creation.

"I'm not sure how many more years I'll be creating games, but my dream is to be able to create a character that can be equal to Sonic."

http://www.theverge.com/gaming/2012/9/20/3360304/life-after-sega-the-sonic-creator-talks-about-his-newfound-freedom

I can't imagine Suzuki san or any of the other great creators in the game industry saying they are free from the games series that they created.

[Nameless 24]

I can't imagine Suzuki san or any of the other great creators in the game industry saying they are free from the games series that they created.

To be fair to the guy, he's making more different games then he ever could under Sonic Team.

I also see his point...SEGA are about making new IPs, but they just can't step away from Sonic for at least one or two years and give everything else they have a chance.

I am sure that GAME FREAK would love to make a game not related to Pokemon that could become just as big too...as the thrill of the chase is better then the catch. Naka discovered Sonic, and was thrilled by it...but after awhile, that success feels less achieved once you've played around with it so many times to keep a diminishing fanbase happy.

I am saddened that SEGA didn't keep him on board for smaller projects....since he has these good ideas that created Let's Tap and Ivy the Wiki but since no one wants to take that risk with him...he's stuck in a rut financially. :\

[Happy Cat]

yeah, i can't see why Naka would be happy about not being able to make Sonic games when he made them what they are, i think it's more like

"I'm free from Iizuka!"

[Barry the Nomad]

Shame Naka hasn't made anything good since Ivy the Kiwi. His other game has yet to release (Rodea the Sky Soldier), then there is that fishing game and the Digimon game.

[ROJM]

I'm sorry but Naka was in a very powerful position within Sega, the same sort of position that Nagoshi now occupies and he could have easily made another non Sonic game if he really wanted to. Its not like sega would have said no to him. hell, Suzuki also had a strong position and he made any game he wanted outside of the cash cow that was/is VIRTUA FIGHTER. And that includes after the "corporate embarrassment" that was SHENMUE he was able to produce new original titles. So i dont think Naka was forced to just make sonic titles or suggest that was the case because its simply isnt true. Or does anyone forget the other cash cow which he was involved in called PSO?

[Nameless 24]

I thought Naka and Iizuka are good friends?

Just because he's in a high position, it doesn't mean he can make the decision to make whatever he wants...at the end of the day, SEGA are in it for the money...and they lost a lot of that themselves to take some risks of NOT putting a Sonic game out there....just look at NiGHTs and Burning Rangers...those games are good, but they didn't sell as many as SEGA hoped.

Virtua Fighter and PSO cash cows? I would have said Street Fighter and World of Warcraft myself...since SEGA did make money from those two franchises you mentioned but were surpassed a few years later by sequels of the ones who started those genres.

[ROJM]

I thought Naka and Iizuka are good friends?

Just because he's in a high position, it doesn't mean he can make the decision to make whatever he wants...at the end of the day, SEGA are in it for the money...and they lost a lot of that themselves to take some risks of NOT putting a Sonic game out there....just look at NiGHTs and Burning Rangers...those games are good, but they didn't sell as many as SEGA hoped.

Virtua Fighter and PSO cash cows? I would have said Street Fighter and World of Warcraft myself...since SEGA did make money from those two franchises you mentioned but were surpassed a few years later by sequels of the ones who started those genres.

Sigh, that doesn't mean they dont make any money. PSO has been quite succesful for sega, which is only now why they're getting around releasing the actual sequel to the original game namely because they have been spinning off PSO into whatever they could possible think of to generate cash.
And VF has always been a strong seller in the arcades especially in japan where it usually outsells its competition whenever a new version is released. And Naka with trhe sonic team  released new titles since NIGHTS and BURNING RANGERS, which still has an impact on sega like SAMBA DE AMIGO and CHU CHU ROCKET as well as PSO. This gave him the freedom to make more games outside of sonic.just like it did back in the DC era

[Radrappy]

PSO. .  . a cash cow?  I'd like to live in whatever alternate dimension you're from. 

As for Naka, I bought Let's tap and Ivy the kiwi and they were both modestly fun titles that tried new things.  I keep waiting for that big game that demonstrates what it was that made Naka so ingenious in the first place but it seems like it's never coming. It does make me a little sad to see him fade into obscurity.  The only times I ever see his name pop up is when he makes an offhand comment about the sonic franchise.  So in that sense I would hardly call him "free from sonic"

[Centrale]

I think he made a very good point about film directors being free to explore with each new film.  The game industry's fixation on sequels is a bit unhealthy, as evidenced by referring to them as "franchises."  The other place the term "franchise" pops up is in the fast food industry.  It's not exactly something that indicates artistic expression is at the forefront of motivators.  Of course, games are not films, and games sometimes thrive when they are popular enough that they can be worked on iteratively.  But some games stand on their own as singular experiences and frankly should never have sequels... not to say that they won't if the stockholders see money in it.  But from an artistic point of view, does there need to be a sequel to a masterpiece?  I don't think so.

[max_cady]

I was under the impression Yuji Naka had said something similar in the past. He's probably venting over Rodea: The Sky Knight which, oddly enough, has been in development hell for some time.

[Barry the Nomad]

Actually, Rodea has been in publishing hell. The game is finished, just not on a disc and in stores.

[ROJM]

PSO. .  . a cash cow?  I'd like to live in whatever alternate dimension you're from. 

What one do you live in? The ammount of users that paid to use the game's online services alone? The countless episodes ? The portable versions? It was still succesful for Sega to carry on the series up to this day compared to many Sega games that weren't or subjectivily succesful that still don't get a sequel to this very day.

[Aki-at]

I'm not sure how anyone can deny Phantasy Star was anything but a consistently successful series? The series has had a title for almost every year since 2000!

2000 - Phantasy Star Online
2001 - Phantasy Star Online ver. 2
2002 - Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II
2003 - Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution
2004 - Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst
2006 - Phantasy Star Universe
2007 - Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus
2008 - Phantasy Star Portable and Phantasy Star 0
2009 - Phantasy Star Portable 2
2011 - Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity
2012 - Phantasy Star Online 2

Think the number of titles shows that Phantasy Star is a highly successful series for SEGA.

[semmie]

i have mixed feelings

one part of me says yo yuji you sold out

and the other one is that he is not thankfull to his old one

one has to realise that there are 2 yuji naka.
the old and the new. ive seen this with friends when suddenly they change in somebody so bad that they are not your friends anymore

could yuji naka be that one?

[max_cady]

I don't quite understand where you are getting at, but I'll try explain it to the best of my ability: Friends is one thing, business is a whole other issue.

Naka-san's frustrations with SEGA were presumably due to the fact that in a company, the more high up you are, the less you are involved with actual development. But no matter how high up you are, you still have something that you answer to.
And Yuji Naka's transition from Sonic Team head honcho to Prope allowed him to have his creative freedom and not be restrained. This is not unsual, it's a fairly common occurence in the world of business. I'm sure there are personal frustrations too, but at the end of the day, it's just business.

@Barry

Oh, OK... After a while I stopped hearing about the game, I actually though it was out, but only in Japan. In tht case, I feel for Naka-san. The game looked great, but the Wii is no longer a relevant platform...