Bloomberg reports that Sega is rebooting both the Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio franchise. Takashi Mochizuki says that it is part of a company initiative to release a game on par with Fortnite because everyone wants that Fortnite or CS: GO money.
Mochizuki mentions that the new Crazy Taxi title has already been in development for over a year. The goal is to release the game within two to three years. Mochizuki also muses that if Sega pursues a similar model to Fortnite, the game would be free-to-play filled with various community events and in-game purchases.
There is no word on the development of Jet Set Radio. The franchise appeared on a report from Sega regarding IPs the company wants to revitalize.
Both Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio are beloved franchises by fans. Seeing them return to gaming with new releases would be wonderful. Don’t keep your hopes up too high, though; The Bloomberg report also mentions that “both new games are in the early stages of creation and could still be canceled.”
Last week, Sega talked about their “Super Game” projects, which both Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio would fall under. Led by Suji Utsumi, a former executive for PlayStation, four titles are planned for this project. Both Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio would be two of them. A third is likely a first-person shooter in development from Sega’s European studio. Possibilities for these super games would include streaming, cloud gaming, and, unfortunately, NFTs.
Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio are very popular if you’re listening, Sega. I want more of that. What I don’t want, however, are NFTs. Gamers aren’t buying them. Big publishers are cooling on them. In the words of Nancy Reagan, “just say no.”
If you’re looking to give Crazy Taxi or Jet Set Radio a playthrough, they’re currently available on Steam and the Xbox store.
