Sonic the Hedgehog Creator Confirms Michael Jackson’s Involvement With Sonic 3

Sonic the Hedgehog creator Yuji Naka has today confirmed a long-running theory associated with Michael Jackson and the soundtrack behind 1994’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3. For a period of multiple decades, rumors have run rampant about whether or not the “King of Pop” helped create the score in the third mainline installment in the Sonic franchise. And while many people who worked at Sega have never confirmed these theories outright, Naka now seems ready to verify that this urban legend was accurate. 

Taking to social media this morning, Naka spoke about the new remastered collection, Sonic Origins, that recently had been released by Sega. In doing so, he brought up the music found in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and verified that Michael Jackson himself helped work on the game’s score. By comparison, the new version of Sonic 3 that is found in Sonic Origins has a soundtrack that has been rearranged, which is what prompted Naka to invoke Jackson’s collaboration on the original version of the platformer. He then went on to share a picture that he took when visiting Jackson’s home back in the 90s. 

Oh my god, the music for Sonic 3 has changed, even though SEGA Official uses Michael Jackson's music.

— Yuji Naka / 中　裕司 (@nakayuji) June 23, 2022

Naka’s confirmation today about Jackson being involved with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 doesn’t necessarily come as a shock, but it does finally bring about some closure to this long-running rumor. In the past, other developers that worked on Sonic 3 claimed that Jackson had worked on the game in some capacity but later went uncredited for his work. One reason why Jackson ended up leaving the project is assumed to be associated with child abuse allegations that he encountered in the early 1990s. While Naka hasn’t commented on these aspects, to now know that he assisted on the game in any capacity makes Sonic 3 that much more unique. 

How do you feel about knowing that Michael Jackson actually worked on the score that was seen in Sonic the Hedgehog 3? And are you surprised to see that Naka is finally choosing to talk openly about this? Let me know either down in the comments or reach out to me on Twitter at @MooreMan12.