Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka has reportedly be re-arrested on suspicion of insider trading during his time at Square Enix.
According to Japanese outlet Asahi (via Eurogamer), Naka is now accused of violating insider trading laws during the development of Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier.
Naka is specifically alleged to have dropped 144.7 million yen on a stake in the game’s developer, Ateam, before the project was announced.
The news comes around a month after Naka was arrested for a similar offense, having reportedly purchased 10,000 shares in Caravan Stories developer Aiming after learning the company would be collaborating with Square Enix to create Dragon Quest Tact.
It’s claimed Naka spent 2.8 million yen to purchase those shares in the studio before the partnership was announced, believing Aiming’s stock price would surge after the link-up was made official.
Two more former Square Enix workers, Taisuke Sasaki and Fumiaki Suzuki, were also arrested over suspected insider trading, and are believed to have also spent millions of yen on shares in Aiming.
Naka departed Square Enix in 2021 shortly after the troubled launch of Balan Wonderworld, which he claimed was released in an incredibly rough state due to a lack of care on the part of the Japanese publisher.