Sega, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio Developing Large Budget Reboot

A new report from Bloomberg reports that Sega is working on a massive reboot of its two most popular Dreamcast games: Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio.

According to a Bloomberg report citing “people familiar with the [Sega] scheme,” Sega is developing these reboots to leverage its back catalog to find hits like Fortnite. These two reboots could be the first of Sega’s Super Gameinitiatives announced last November.

Why does Sega want Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio to become Fortnite? Fortnite is definitely gaining popularity because it’s free, battle royale with lots of crossover opportunities thanks to live events and a variety of costumes. Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio certainly aren’t like Fortnite, but Sega has more daring plans for these reboots. Bloomberg also reported that Sega’s European studio is working on a first-person super game, so this could be a title they hope Sega will be a hit like Fortnite.

The Crazy Taxi reboot has been in development for over a year and Sega plans to launch it in the next 2-3 years. Jet Set Radio is also in its early stages of development, and sources at the publication say both games could still be canceled.

Crazy Taxis for beginners is a weird semi-racing game where the player has to transport passengers across the city in a high-speed taxi while the tracks from The Offspring (and others) are playing. Jet Set Radio, on the other hand, is a game based on rollerblade and graffiti, featuring flashy images and tearing soundtracks in an area that is no different from Tokyo’s shopping districts.

Both Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio are fan favorites. So I hope this reboot will bear fruit someday as a game we can all play.