Summary
In a recently posted recruitment video, developers at Sega Sapporo have described the in-developmentCrazy Taxireboot as a “massive multiplayer driving” game. TheCrazy Taxirevival was first announced during The Game Awards 2023 alongside a host of other Sega reboots, including upcoming new entries in theJet Set RadioandStreets of Rageseries. Not much about any of these new games has been shared yet, but a trailer highlighted how theCrazy Taxireboot would largely be retaining its arcade-style gameplay and cartoony art style.
While details about these reboots have been scarce, Sega has stated thatCrazy Taxiwill be one of the publisher’s Triple-A games, teasing that it will be much bigger than expected. TheCrazy Taxireboot is being developed by Sega Sapporo, a studio that was established in 2021 and has assisted in the development of various Sega games. There have been several leaks over the past year that have described this reboot as a massively multiplayer live service title. The studio has recently corroborated these leaks by detailing the game’s scope, sharing that “massively multiplayer” elements are a part of the experience.
In a new Japanese recruitment video posted by Sega (partially translated byVGC), producer Kenji Kanno, the director of the originalCrazy Taxi, shares details about this reboot alongside other members of the development team. According to the video, the development team is adaptingthe gameplay of the originalCrazy Taxi, in which players have to pick up and drive passengers to their destinations in record time, into a world populated by multiple players at once. The reboot’s gameplay shows that players will be driving around a city that is based on the West Coast of the United States, with the video describing the map as “theme park-like.”
New Information from Sega Supports Crazy Taxi Live Service Leaks
Severaljob listings on Sega’s websitealso offer further insight into the reboot. According to these listings, theCrazy Taxireboot will be a “new major online title” with an open world created using Unreal Engine. All of these details corroborate findings from earlier this year, with numerousleaks claiming theCrazy Taxireboot would be a live service game.
According to these older leaks,theCrazy Taxireboot is being developed using Unreal Engine 5, and the live service title will supposedly launch after a more single-player-focused remake separate from the massively multiplayer reboot. The remake will supposedly be very similar to the original game but will contain new features and modern quality-of-life updates. While the credibility of these leaks have largely been accurate so far, fans will want to wait for more information from Sega to confirm the details.
Crazy Taxi
WHERE TO PLAY
Crazy Taxi started life in arcades before later being ported to the Sega Dreamcast and various other home consoles. The game has players working as a taxi driver in a San Francisco-inspired city and features heavy product placement, with passengers often asking to be dropped off at places like KFC, Pizza Hut, and Tower Records.
