Sega is reportedly working on “big-budget” reboots for Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio, with the intention of creating new installments that generate recurring revenue and online communities.
According to a report by Bloomberg, the rebooters are part of Sega’s Super Game initiative, which aims to create games with large communities and the ability to generate a long tail of revenue. Basically, the Fortnite model falls short of microtransaction-driven content.
Bloomberg’s sources claim that the Crazy Taxi reboot has been under development for over a year and that Sega aims to release it within the next two or three years. IT and Jet Set Radio are reportedly two out of four planned ‘Super Games’, with the third apparently a first-person shooter aiming to generate $ 780 million over its lifetime.
Both Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio are from Dreamcast, so it seems that nostalgia could be part of Sega’s plan here if the games were to become a reality. And although both are in active development, Bloomberg’s sources state that they are both in the early stages and can still be canceled.
At the time, we gave Crazy Taxi a 9.6 review score, saying “Playing Crazy Taxi reminded me not only why I love games, but why I believe Sega has some of the most talented designers and developers in gaming history. ” The original Jet Set Radio took home an identical result where our review said “This is the type of game that makes me proud to be a Dreamcast owner. It has everything you would expect from a AAA product and it have it in spades. ” Both games have become cult classics, but Sega will no doubt have more than little success if these online reboots are part of its plans.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s UK News and Features Editor.