Within the ranks of nostalgic PS2 or Dreamcast games, Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio definitely have their place with giants like Tekken or Crash Bandicoot. SEGA captured the hearts of players across the world with both franchises, and now the Crazy Taxi reboot rumours are picking up traction again. Alongside a Jet Set Radio reboot, it appears that SEGA is trying to see whether players would be willing to dish out the cash.
According to a new SEGA survey, shared by Xbox enthusiast account ‘Idle Sloth‘, the Sonic The Hedgehog publisher is doing research about its popular franchises via the Sega Insights Lab. Within the recent survey participants can see games such as Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, House of the Dead, and Judgment listed. Participants can click each game to reveal the following options: “never heard of it, heard of it but never played a game from it, [and] played a game from it.”
While this can be seen as SEGA doing some light research on its popular franchises, the reappearance of Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio is sure to pique the interest of long-time fans.
Previously, rumours of fully fledged reboot for the Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio franchises emerged back in April of last year. Bloomberg reported that “Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. is developing big-budget reboots of its Dreamcast games Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio”, in hopes of chasing the success of similarly cartoonish games like Fortnite. The establishment of the two franchises is allegedly part of a new initiative to develop strong online communities, set against the backdrop of “recurring revenue sources.”
Fans have had the chance to dive back into either franchise over the years via the 2011 Dreamcast Collection, though plans for sequels have eluded players. The Crazy Taxi franchise has ventured into other avenues, with the ill-fated Crazy Taxi Tycoon (formerly Crazy Taxi Gazillionaire) offering up a management simulation on mobile devices. It is claimed in Bloomberg’s report that these sequels will emerge in the next three years.
Elsewhere, games like Taxi Chaos by developer Team 6 Game Studios have attempted to fill in the gap left by Crazy Taxi’s frenetic gameplay. Nothing quite matches the original though.
In the meantime, you’ll have to satiate your need for SEGA goodness with the latest PS Plus Extra and Premium 2023 games lineup. Alternatively, you can check out the Xbox Game Pass March 2023 games too.