Sega’s new Crazy Taxi reboot will be an open-world MMO

Sega’s upcoming Crazy Taxi reboot is going to be an open-world massively-multiplayer online (MMO) game, according to a developer interview on YouTube. The interview includes both quotes from Sega’s team and some brief instances of game footage.

Series producer Kenji Kanno confirmed that the reboot will be playable by many people at once, though the company is still testing the game mechanics. The goal, according to a translation by Automaton, is to maintain the feel of the original franchise entries while incorporating MMO elements. To that end, the footage shows multiple yellow taxis racing one another with police cars in pursuit. Oddly, the police cars are convertibles.

It also looks like the map will be inspired by California, which makes sense given the previous entries, and will include “theme park-like” elements. The reboot has previously been described as a AAA title, so Sega is putting a whole bunch of resources behind it. Based on one job recruitment page, the game is being developed in Unreal Engine.

The idea of an open-world Crazy Taxi makes perfect sense, as it already was basically a precursor to GTA and the like. The MMO aspect, however, could be annoying or it could be amazing. We won’t know until it comes out.

This reboot is just one of Sega’s upcoming visits to the nostalgia well. The company recently announced that it’s breaking out many dusty IPs to work on modern versions. These include Crazy Taxi, of course, but also Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio, Shinobi and Streets of Rage. It’s worth noting that the company continues to ignore what the people really want, a modern take on the horrifying talking fish nightmare simulator Seaman.