Yuji Naka says Square Enix ‘doesn’t value the game’ after Balan’s Wonderworld mess

In a candid Twitter thread, famed video game developer Yuji Naka revealed details about the lawsuit he filed against Square Enix and his struggle to create the ambitious but ultimately tyrannical balan wonderworld a better game.

in threadwritten in Japanese and translated by ledgeNaka wrote that he was removed as the producer of balan wonderworld He sued Square Enix six months before its release and shortly thereafter.

“It’s being a game creator to improve a game to the end, and making it impossible is weird,” Naka wrote. “I asked my attorney to try to negotiate until the end to only comment on the production, but I sued because I was refused.”

“Improving a game to the end is like being a game creator, and to make that impossible to do is awkward.”

He says he was fired for two reasons. One of the first comments he made about a YouTuber’s decision to release the arrangement included wonderful worldMusic instead of the original song.

Naka wrote, “I thought it was wrong that a piano arrangement of game music by a YouTuber was used in promotion of an original game.” “When I insisted that the original song be released, it caused trouble.”

Naka stated that another reason for his release was that he had raised issues with the quality of the work at game studio Erzest. balan wonderworldthe development of.

“Ties with Erzest were broken when I commented about wanting to improve the game, or Erzest rendering the game without bug fixes,” Naka tweeted.

balan wonderworld was a musical platformer that generated a lot of early buzz; It was a new franchise from Square Enix and Yuji Naka, noted for his work on the original Sonic the Hedgehog Games will be its director. After launch, however, the game’s whimsical luster faded, revealing shallow gameplay full of potentially harmful bugs.

In game development, a game often has most of its pieces in place long before its release date, and any changes can lead to costly delays. In his thread, Naka expressed his disappointment at withdrawing from the project because it violated his philosophy of trying and improving the game until the last minute – something that has served him well in the past. Naka, on the original programmer Sonic the Hedgehogshared that he was not dying with Sonic’s now-general convention until only two weeks before the game was sent for final approval he had a single ring.

Square Enix and Earnest are companies that don’t value games or game fans

Naka said that his inability to continue working on the game was responsible for its poor performance.

“I believe that the welcome and review balan wonderworld That you all know has a lot to do with this situation. I am really disappointed that the product I have worked on from the beginning has turned out like this, he tweeted.

He also criticized his former employer, Square Enix and wonderful worldDeveloper of Arzest.

,[They] There are companies that don’t value games or game fans.”

In 2021, Naka left Square Enix and recently released a solo-developed mobile game. He did not disclose the specifics of his lawsuit against Square Enix and apologized to his fans, saying he would be more responsive on social media in the future.

“I am deeply sorry to the customers who purchased what I consider to be unfinished balan wonderworld, he wrote.

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