Hirokazu Yasuhara

Another pivotal name in the early years of Sonic, Yasuhara was the original game and level designer. He was probably the most actively involved in the early development of the series, and remained one of the chief map designers all the way through Sonic R in 1997. He even had a hand in the design of the shelved Sonic X-treme. In 2002, Yasuhara left Sega where, according to Yuji Naka, he had become "useless," and joined the creators of Crash Bandicoot at Naughty Dog, where he has since worked on Jak II.

Production History

• Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) - Game Planner ("Carol Yas")
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992) - Game Planner, Object Placement
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) - Director, Lead Game designer
• Sonic & Knuckles (1994) - Director, Lead Game designer
• Sonic 3D Blast (Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island) (1995) - Playfield Design, Saturn Enhancements
• Sonic R (1997) - Map Design Director
• Floigan Brothers: Episode 1 (2001) - Game Designer
• Jak II (2003) - Part of Naughty Dog