Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator Yuji Naka has been arrested for suspected insider trading for an investment made while working at Square Enix.

As reported by IGN Japan, Naka was arrested by the Special Investigation Department of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office alongside two other former Square Enix employees.

He allegedly bought 10,000 shares in developer Aiming, at a value of around $20,000, ahead of it announcing the Dragon Quest Tact mobile game in partnership with Square Enix. The other employees arrested, Taisuke Sazaki and Fumiaki Suzuki, allegedly purchased a combined total of 162,000 shares at a value of around $337,250. Sazaki is also alleged to have informed Naki and Suzuki about the potential rise in value.

Insider trading is the buying and selling of stocks with confidential or non-public information, usually with the intention to make money, and is illegal in Japan.

The trio are therefore reportedly suspected of investing in Aiming before the Dragon Quest game was announced, expecting the collaboration with Square Enix to drive up the value of the company. It's currently unclear if Naka or the other employees have sold their shares.

Naka is arguably most known for co-creating Sonic the Hedgehog and leading Sega's Sonic Team, but was also lead programmer on other games including Nights into Dreams, Phantasy Star Online, and more. He eventually joined Square Enix but left in June 2021, not long after the release of his latest game Balan Wonderland.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator Yuji Naka has reportedly been arrested for suspected insider trading for an investment made while working at Square Enix.

As reported by Japanese outlet FNN and translated by GI.biz, Naka was arrested by the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office alongside two other former Square Enix employees.

Naka allegedly bought 10,000 shares in developer Aiming, at a value of around $20,000, ahead of it announcing the Dragon Quest Tact mobile game in partnership with Square Enix. The other employees arrested, Taisuke Sasaki and Fumiaki Suzuki, allegedly purchased a combined total of 162,000 shares at a value of around $337,250.

Insider trading is the buying and selling of stocks with confidential or non-public information, usually with the intention to make money, and is illegal in Japan.

The trio are therefore reportedly suspected of investing in Aiming before the Dragon Quest game was announced, expecting the collaboration with Square Enix to drive up the value of the company. It's currently unclear if Naka or the other employees have sold their shares.

Naka is arguably most known for co-creating Sonic the Hedgehog and leading Sega's Sonic Team, but was also lead programmer on other games including Nights into Dreams, Phantasy Star Online, and more. He eventually joined Square Enix but left in June 2021, not long after the release of his latest game Balan Wonderland.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

At last, Game Freak has done it. As of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet there are now more than 1000 Pokémon.

Pokémon Sword and Shield, along with their DLC, brought the total up to 905, and Scarlet and Violet's new additions cap the number at a whopping 1008. For those tracking, that's not counting regional variants such as Wooper's new variant in the Paldea region, though it does count new regional evolutions, assuming they have different names than their counterparts elsewhere.

So who, then, is Pokémon number 1000? Turns out, Game Freak seems to have been very aware they were designing a monster with the distinguished honor of being number 1000, so they leaned into that a bit.

Warning: We're going to spoil Pokémon number 1000 for you below this video. Don't scroll further if you don't want to know.

Who's that 1000th Pokémon? It's...Gholdengo!

Okay yes, he looks like a cereal mascot. But hear us out. Gholdengo is a fascinating little dude, and a fun choice for Pokémon 1000. He evolves from Gimmighoul, a ghost Pokémon that haunts treasure chests and can be found pulling mimic-style pranks on unsuspecting trainers across Paldea. When defeated or captured, Gimmighoul drops Gimmighoul coins, which can also be found lying around on your travels across the region. You need 1000 of these Gimmighoul coins before Gimmighoul will evolve into Gholdengo on its next level up. It's a clear nod to Gholdengo's status as the 1000th Pokemon.

Gholdengo's Pokedex entry is also a testament to this amazing little guy being beloved by Game Freak. In Scarlet, at least, it reads:

Its body seems to be made up of 1,000 coins. This Pokémon gets along well with others and is quick to make friends with anybody.

What's more, the cover of its Pokedex entry is incredible: it shows him surfing on a skateboard made of coins.

We're huge fans of Gholdengo here. Congratulations, Gholdengo, on being the 1000th Pokémon. Can't wait to see what Game Freak will do for number 2000! [Editor's Note: Pokemon 2000... I liked that movie - Kat Bailey].

For more Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, check out our spoiler-free review-in-progress, as well as our wiki guides including walkthroughs, a Pokedex, tips, and everything else you might need to know before starting your journey in the Paldea region.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

At last, Game Freak has done it. As of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet there are now more than 1000 Pokémon.

Pokémon Sword and Shield, along with their DLC, brought the total up to 905, and Scarlet and Violet's additions cap the number at a whopping 1008. For those tracking, that's not counting regional variants such as Wooper's new variant in the Paldea region, though it does count new regional evolutions, assuming they have different names than their counterparts elsewhere.

So who, then, is Pokémon number 1000? Turns out, Game Freak seems to have been very aware they were designing a monster with the distinguished honor of being number 1000, so they leaned into that a bit.

Warning: We're going to spoil Pokémon number 1000 for you below this video. Don't scroll further if you don't want to know.

Who's that 1000th Pokémon? It's...Gholdengo!

Okay yes, he looks like a cereal mascot. But hear us out. Gholdengo is a fascinating little dude, and a fun choice for Pokémon 1000. He evolves from Gimmighoul, a ghost Pokémon that haunts treasure chests and can be found pulling mimic-style pranks on unsuspecting trainers across Paldea. When defeated or captured, Gimmighoul drops Gimmighoul coins, which can also be found lying around on your travels across the region. You need 1000 of these Gimmighoul coins before Gimmighoul will evolve into Gholdengo on its next level up. It's a clear nod to Gholdengo's status as the 1000th Pokemon.

Gholdengo's Pokedex entry is also a testament to this amazing little guy being beloved by Game Freak. In Scarlet, at least, it reads:

Its body seems to be made up of 1,000 coins. This Pokémon gets along well with others and is quick to make friends with anybody.

What's more, the cover of its Pokedex entry is incredible: it shows him surfing on a skateboard made of coins.

We're huge fans of Gholdengo here. Congratulations, Gholdengo, on being the 1000th Pokémon. Can't wait to see what Game Freak will do for number 2000! [Editor's Note: Pokemon 2000... I liked that movie - Kat Bailey].

For more Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, check out our spoiler-free review-in-progress, as well as our wiki guides including walkthroughs, a Pokedex, tips, and everything else you might need to know before starting your journey in the Paldea region.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

The team behind Paramount's successful Scream reboot are reportedly targeting another dormant franchise: John Carpenter's Escape From New York.

Deadline reports that Radio Silence, which consists of filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villelle. Carpenter will serve as the film's executive producer.

No word on the reboot's approach, nor who will take on Kurt Russell's role as Snake Plissken, who serves as the eyepatch-wearing protagonist of both Escape from New York and Escape from LA. The reboot is said to be currently looking for writers.

First released in 1981, Escape from New York imagines a world circa 1997 in which Manhatten has been converted into a giant maximum security prison.

We wrote of the film in 2012, "It's hard for me to diss a film I cherished in my youth, but it's filled with too many 80's era staples (punker street toughs, synthesizer music, and the "far seeing" future of the late 90's) to resonate now."

In the meantime, Radio Silence are preparing to release the untitled sequel to their Scream reboot, which will see Courteney Cox among other reprise their roles. It will be out March 10, 2023.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

The team behind Paramount's successful Scream reboot are reportedly targeting another dormant franchise: John Carpenter's Escape From New York.

Deadline reports that Radio Silence, which consists of filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villelle. Carpenter will serve as the film's executive producer.

No word on the reboot's approach, nor who will take on Kurt Russell's role as Snake Plissken, who serves as the eyepatch-wearing protagonist of both Escape from New York and Escape from LA. The reboot is said to be currently looking for writers.

First released in 1981, Escape from New York imagines a world circa 1997 in which Manhatten has been converted into a giant maximum security prison.

We wrote of the film in 2012, "It's hard for me to diss a film I cherished in my youth, but it's filled with too many 80's era staples (punker street toughs, synthesizer music, and the "far seeing" future of the late 90's) to resonate now."

In the meantime, Radio Silence are preparing to release the untitled sequel to their Scream reboot, which will see Courteney Cox among other reprise their roles. It will be out March 10, 2023.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Despite having just taken the reins of the social media company and enacting seismic changes, Elon Musk says he expects to reduce his time at Twitter and find a new CEO.

According to reports at Reuters and elsewhere, Musk told a Delaware judge that he plans to “reduce my time at Twitter and find somebody else to run Twitter over time.” This is something he has told investors as well, offering that his tenure as Twitter CEO is only temporary.

Since taking over the social media website after acquiring it for $44 billion, Musk has made headlines for each new business move including mass layoffs and prioritizing Twitter Blue which now comes with a verified check mark for subscribers.

These moves have subsequently been followed-up with additional reports, such as the inefficient way in which Twitter employees were informed of their layoff, and how the Twitter Blue feature was immediately used to impersonate official Twitter accounts for jokes.

Musk actually says he doesn’t want to be CEO of any company, despite being CEO of several. This includes his companies like Tesla and SpaceX. But in both cases, Musk told the judge that he views his role as someone who facilitates new technology, whereas the CEO title is more of a business role.

Musk was testifying on whether Tesla’s board acted appropriately when handing Musk a $52 billion pay package.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

Hundreds of Twitter employees have resigned en masse following Elon Musk's ultimatum that they commit to what he has dubbed a "hardcore Twitter 2.0."

The employees had until 2pm PT on Thursday to select "yes" on a Google Form to the question of whether they wanted to stay at Twitter, according to reports by The Verge and New York Times among others. Instead, employees began posting farewell messages to what has been described as an avalanche of salute emojis.

Employees were previously told they could sign on for Twitter's "exciting journey" or take severance and "transition away" from the company.

As the resignations poured in, tech journalist Zoë Schiffer reported that Twitter had closed all of its office buildings and suspended badge access. Shiffer reports that Musk and his leadership team are "terrified" that employees will attempt to sabotage the company, and that they are still trying to work out which employees they need to cut access for.

According to Schiffer, the offices will reopen on November 21.

Twitter has been racked by departures and layoffs ever since Musk purchased the company less than a month ago. It has coincided with a diastrous rollout for the new Twitter Blue verification subscription strategy, which has been updated and amended multiple times.

NEW: Twitter just alerted employees that effective immediately, all office buildings are temporarily closed and badge access is suspended. No details given as to why.

— Zoë Schiffer (@ZoeSchiffer) November 17, 2022

Meanwhile, Twitter seems dangerously close to running afoul of the Federal Trade Commission [FTC}. Earlier today, seven Democratic senators sent a letter to the agency asking it to investigate whether Twitter had violated its consumer privacy agreement.

With more than half of Twitter's 7,500 member workforce having resigned or been fired, it's unclear whether the platform will be able to recover.

“I’m not pressing the button,” an employee was reported by The Verge to have posted in Slack. “My watch ends with Twitter 1.0. I do not wish to be part of Twitter 2.0”

You can read our full timeline of Musk's Twitter buyout and what has happened since right here.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's review embargo has lifted, and as it ticks over to November 18 around the world, folks are beginning to get access to them. Which means everyone is now able to see an extremely unfortunate, glaring issue with the games: they run very, very poorly.

We covered this in our review in progress, and there's a lot more to the game that we discuss in there, but here's a quick excerpt summarizing the issues we specifically ran into:

The framerate is all over the place, dipping agonizingly low even when only a few effects such as flowing water or weather are on screen. Character models only a few feet away pop in and out, sometimes rapidly, or chug along at stop motion animation speeds. Everything has a weird, shimmery blur to it, and shadows frequently disappear and reappear suddenly and illogically. Pokémon clip in and out of walls or floors at odd angles, or get stuck in them entirely – I spent an entire Gym Battle with one Pokémon halfway buried in the floor. The camera will occasionally clip through mountainsides and give a full view of a video gamey void, sometimes ruining cool moments (like, for instance, the evolution of my Wooper). Everything lags all the time, from battles to menus to cutscenes. Two of our guides writers have experienced hard game crashes. It is, by far, the worst-running Pokémon game I have ever played, and among the worst-running AAA games I’ve played on the Switch so far. And yes, this is with the day one patch.

To be clear, from my own experience playing, the issues went far beyond framerate. Aside from the aforementioned hard crashes, lag, framerate drops, pop-in, and clipping issues, I also ran into a handful of bugs. One area I explored refused to let me pick up any of the items lying around on the ground. I've seen multiple wild Pokémon stuck in walls, unable to be battled, and I've been able to briefly fly vertically up a waterfall.

In fact, as I was writing this article, one of our guides writers informed me that they had just had this bizarre issue happen to them:

Polygon, Eurogamer, The Guardian, and basically everyone else cited the issues in their reviews, just like we did. But overall, it seems that the pool of reviewers who had early access to test these issues was pretty small. So it stands to reason that now that the general public is also playing, even more issues are being discovered. Here's one especially egregious example making the rounds on Twitter:

oof the reviews arent kidding about the terrible performance #PokemonScarletViolet #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/0oDvYQmMqV

— cherrim @ pkmn scarlet (@Cherrim) November 17, 2022

And another, somewhat similar one:

le jeu galère je crois #PokemonEcarlateViolet #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/ZxmnwBrhLR

— Snicky (@Snicky974) November 17, 2022

It's extremely likely we'll see even more bugs and bizarre technical issues like this crop up in the coming days as more people get their hands on these games and break them on accident, or even on purpose. There's currently a day one patch that supposedly improves performance, but given our entire review period was spent playing on said patch, we're not optimistic for everyone else. We're going to need more patches.

IGN has reached out to Nintendo to ask if there were more improvements planned, but has not yet received a response.

As you battle through the bugs, check out our Wiki Guide to everything you might need to know during your Paldean adventure.

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Overwatch 2 fans aren’t entirely happy with the game’s rewards and cosmetics, especially considering their high cost. And Blizzard isn’t satisfied, either.

During a lengthy blog post, new Overwatch 2 executive producer Jared Neuss revealed that Blizzard is planning some big changes to how its season passes will work.

“In Season 2, we’ve changed up our rewards a bit so that each event has a skin you can earn by playing, in addition to the other cosmetic rewards we already offer,” he explained. Notably, the game’s recent Halloween Terror event rewarded little beyond voice lines, some titles, and XP.

“We’re also going to continue our Twitch drops programs so that you can earn skins and in-game goodies by supporting your favorite creators,” he added. “While we're working on the long-term plans, we want upcoming seasons to feel more rewarding than Season 1.”

Improvements to battle pass rewards will go a long way, especially if this includes additional free skins… but there’s more to do in the long term.

Thankfully, Blizzard is planning to up the ante when it comes to Season 3.

“For Season 3 and beyond, we’re looking at a mix of Battle Pass changes, more interesting Challenges to pursue, and more exciting play-focused progression systems for you all to dig into. We’ll be able to talk about some of these changes soon, but other changes may take more time to lock-in.”

Quite what this means for Overwatch 2 remains to be seen, and since the game’s shift to free-to-play, monetization has proven to be a bit of a sticking point. Especially since one particular weapon charm was cheaper to buy in real life than in-game.

However, the company does seem to want to get the right balance.

“We aren’t completely satisfied with how everything feels right now,” he said. “There’s a lot we like about it—knocking out a bunch of daily/weekly challenges or getting something new for a hero you love can feel great! But we also recognize that today’s experience has opportunity for improvement that we need to focus on.”

IGN’s Overwatch 2 review gave it 8/10 and said: “Overwatch 2 breathes new life into what was once the sharpest multiplayer shooter around, before it had its edges severely dulled by Blizzard’s attention shifting away," adding that "The fundamentals are all set for Overwatch to shine as it once did in the multiplayer shooter scene once again, and the future definitely looks bright with what is set to come over the following months.”

Want to read more about Overwatch 2? Check out its new tank hero, Ramattra as well as how many players Overwatch 2 reached in its first month.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.