Sonic Co-Creator Leaves Namco Bandai to Join Nintendo
Will work on American development for NST.
Hirokazu Yasuhara, legendary game planner and co-creator of SEGA mascot Sonic the Hedgehog, has joined the ranks at Nintendo. He will specifically be joining the hallowed halls of the Nintendo Software Technology (NST) division, which focuses on first-party IP and hardware.
The move follows a stint at Namco Bandai Games America as Senior Game Designer, recently finishing work on Pac-Man Party. Yasuhara has also previously worked at Naughty Dog, and was an integral force in the development of Jak & Daxter and Uncharted.
It is reported that he will still be based in America for his duties at Nintendo. His exact job title has yet to be revealed.
Nintendo's NST department was set up in 1999 in Redmond, Washington, to focus on games that would specifically suit the Western market. It has previously developed Wave Race: Blue Storm on Gamecube, the Mario vs Donkey Kong series on Game Boy Advance and DS, Metroid Prime Hunters and Super Smash Bros Brawl.
This news will no doubt flare up fanboy wars between Nintendo and SEGA for years to come, and-- oh, wait, we're not in the 1990s anymore.
Source: Gamasutra
The move follows a stint at Namco Bandai Games America as Senior Game Designer, recently finishing work on Pac-Man Party. Yasuhara has also previously worked at Naughty Dog, and was an integral force in the development of Jak & Daxter and Uncharted.
It is reported that he will still be based in America for his duties at Nintendo. His exact job title has yet to be revealed.
Nintendo's NST department was set up in 1999 in Redmond, Washington, to focus on games that would specifically suit the Western market. It has previously developed Wave Race: Blue Storm on Gamecube, the Mario vs Donkey Kong series on Game Boy Advance and DS, Metroid Prime Hunters and Super Smash Bros Brawl.
This news will no doubt flare up fanboy wars between Nintendo and SEGA for years to come, and-- oh, wait, we're not in the 1990s anymore.
Source: Gamasutra
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