Crazy Taxi Looks Small, But Is AAA In Scope

Sega's revival of Crazy Taxi promises ambitious "AAA" scope and investment.
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Crazy Taxi Driving On Sidewalk With People And Pigeons
Image: Sega

Sega recently confirmed that the upcoming revival of their classic arcade racer, Crazy Taxi, will be a AAA game in terms of scope and budget. This is surprising because the franchise has a simple premise and isn’t graphically demanding. Still, details emerging from both Sega and the game’s developer, Sapporo Studio, suggest a more ambitious project than initially meets the eye.

Sapporo Studio itself is a studio that has done a lot regarding this remake. Established in 2021 as Sega’s first domestic development base outside of Tokyo, the studio is contributing to Crazy Taxi’s development alongside other established Sega teams. While they haven’t developed any independent titles yet, their involvement indicates a significant investment in the project.

In an article from Japantimes (found by Eurogamer), Sega describes the new Crazy Taxi as offering “innovative and fresh style driving action” that blends “a cheerful feeling of freedom” with “the fusion of nature and city.” This implies a world larger and more expansive than the typical Crazy Taxi environment, potentially incorporating open-world elements or diverse districts within the classic “Crazy City” setting.

While they haven’t really said anything on what makes the gameplay AAA, the scope seems to extend beyond just graphical fidelity. Sega spoke on a “stable development structure,” suggesting a sizable team and development resources dedicated to the project. Additionally, the involvement of senior staff on established titles like Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis hints at experienced talent shaping the new Crazy Taxi.

While I think it’s interesting that there is an AAA label attached to Crazy Taxi, its exact scale and budget compared to other AAA games is questionable. However, the information available suggests a more substantial production than a simple remaster or remake. Sega appears dedicated to revitalizing the franchise with a modern, ambitious take that retains the core spirit of the original.

Whether the new Crazy Taxi lives up to its AAA billing and rekindles the franchise’s past glory remains to be seen. However, it looks like they’re really giving it their best to compete with other games released today.

Jorge A. Aguilar

Jorge A. Aguilar

Jorge A. Aguilar, also known as Aggy, is the current Assigning Editor.

He started his career as an esports, influencer, and streaming writer for Sportskeeda. He then moved to GFinity Esports to cover streaming, games, guides, and news before moving to the Social team where he ended his time as the Lead of Social Content.

He also worked a writer and editor for both Pro Game Guides and Dot Esports, and as a writer for PC Invasion, Attack of the Fanboy, and Android Police. Aggy is the former Managing Editor and Operations Overseer of N4G Unlocked and a former Gaming editor for WePC.

Throughout his time in the industry, he's trained over 100 writers, written thousands of articles on multiple sites, written more reviews than he cares to count, and edited tens of thousands of articles. He has also written some games published by Tales, some books, and a comic sold to Telus International.

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