SEGA is currently in the development phase for big-budget reboots of two classic games from its Dreamcast back catalog -- Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio.
According to Bloomberg, Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. began development on the two games as part of SEGA's "Super Game" initiative. Over a year ago, the company announced the creation of the initiative as part of its mission to develop games from which they can form recurring revenue sources and build communities online for its software. Primarily, the company seeks to find the next Fortnite, using the game's now infamously successful formula to model its games after.
The new Crazy Taxi has been in development for over a year by a Tokyo-based entertainment group that aims to release it within two to three years. The group itself has not yet been named publically. Both Crazy Train and Jet Set Radio appeared on SEGA's annual report last year as part of a group of intellectual assets that SEGA wanted to bring up to date to recapitalize them. Both games are currently in early production, and there is still a possibility they could be canceled at this stage.
Shuji Utsumi, a former PlayStation executive, leads the Super Game project. The project has plans for about four titles, including a first-person shooter. It intends to offer content and services that can create a large community and 100 billion yen ($780 million) in lifetime revenue. Although SEGA's online RPG Phantasy Star Online 2 fits the description of a global multiplayer hit, it has not managed to achieve the sort of thriving market SEGA seeks with its in-game purchases. The company reportedly aims to address the monetization of its game more aggressively with future titles.
Crazy Taxi, initially released in 1999, puts the player in the driver's seat of a taxi, where the objective is to get passengers to their destination in the fastest time possible. The game became known for its innovative but challenging to master gameplay and its notable creative use of in-game advertising.
Jet Set Radio is also a street action game, this one on roller skates. Released in 2000, Jet Set Radio sees the player cast as a gang member as they travel through Tokyo on inline skates, spraying graffiti, challenging rival gangs, and evading authorities. It was the first game to use a cel-shaded style to move away from the anime style of previous SEGA entries.
Although both games were notable additions to the then-revolutionary SEGA Dreamcast, neither managed to turn into major commercial hits. They do have a devoted fan following, however, something SEGA is banking on, according to Tokyo-based games consultant Serkan Toto. “They are more like cult titles with very loud and vocal fan bases, totally different in scale compared to Sega’s iconic Sonic series,” Toto said.
Source: Bloomberg