Sonic and Jet Set Radio composer Hideki Naganuma thinks developer Sega won’t hire him again and didn’t appreciate his work on the games.
Composer Hideki Naganuma doesn’t think Sega will hire him to compose music for future games. Naganuma has successfully produced music for sonic the hedgehog and Radio Jet Set in the past, but his professional relationship with the Japanese developer has been complicated.
by Sega sonic the hedgehog The series is arguably the only property keeping Sega relevant in popular culture today. Sonic gamers still appreciate the classics, including the nostalgic ones Sonic Adventure 2 and her adorable Chao. The second Sonic Adventure title was originally released on the Dreamcast, which was also the home console for Radio Jet Set which had a soundtrack composed by Naganuma. Although Hideki Naganuma worked with Sega for a decade sometimes under the pseudonym “skankfunk”, his relationship with Sega regarding the actual composition of the music was uneven. At one point the project managers refused to let him do anything other than voice editing on games like Yakuza, Sonic Rush Adventureand 3D Super Monkey Ball.
Hideki Nagunuma took to Twitter to discuss his current relationship with Sega. Naganuma simply states that he doesn’t think Sega will hire him again and didn’t appreciate his music, ending by noting that Sega didn’t try to stop him from leaving. Fans in replies to the Tweet were split, with some criticizing its public opinion of the developer, and others suggesting Sega deserves any outrage at them, citing the recent closure and sale of Sega Arcades.
I don’t think Sega would hire me again. Because they didn’t like my music that much. The proof is that when I said I was leaving Sega, no one stopped me.
— HIDEKI NYAGANUMA 🇺🇦 CEO OF FUNKY FRESH BEATS (@Hideki_Naganuma) March 28, 2022
Thankfully, Hideki Naganuma is having more and more success as a freelance composer, working on indie game soundtracks and similar projects. He also has a large following on Twitter, where he constantly interacts with his followers, even sharing memes based on the beloved. Radio Jet Set. Nagunuma’s exciting and funky video game music is loved by many, and many are disappointed that he is no longer composing for a mainstream developer like Sega.
With the forthcoming release of the last sonic the hedgehog movie and the fur gift sonic the hedgehog Xbox controllers, it looks like longtime and now international developer Sega is doing well. Sega may not be at its peak like it was in the days of the original Sega or the Dreamcast, but the console series still has many devoted fans. These fans are still clearly nostalgic for these classic games, especially sonic the hedgehog. Despite Hideki Nagnuma’s apparent disappointment with the company, both parties continued to forge successful legacies.
Source: Hideki Naganuma/Twitter
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