Sega's Crazy Taxi revival draws fire over generative AI use in game development
7 Sources
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Crazy Taxi is back, but Sega's use of generative AI steals the spotlight
Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust. First look: Sega's return to Crazy Taxi isn't just a nostalgia play anymore. With the first full trailer now out, the upcoming Crazy Taxi: World Tour is drawing just as much attention for how it's
[2]
Crazy Taxi World Tour officially announced, and Sega immediately upsets everyone by announcing it used generative AI
It's been a rollercoaster day for Crazy Taxi. Today, at Xbox's showcase, we saw the first trailer for the long-teased rebooted game in the series. In a new trailer (below) Sega announced that the game is set to launch on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X in
[3]
The new Crazy Taxi has a generative AI disclosure on its Steam page, and people are not happy
It didn't take long, but it happened to me. Less than a week after PC Gamer's Andy Chalk wrote about how these gaming trailer livestreams would start to have their hype trains robbed and wrecked by AI disclosures, I saw it. Crazy Taxi: World Tour, a game I was reasonably excited for, was made with
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SEGA under fire for using gen AI in new Crazy Taxi game
SEGA Is reviving classic Dreamcast-era franchise Crazy Taxi with a brand new game set for a 2027 release, but the company is facing backlash over the project's use of generative AI. In an effort to revitalize sales and spark cultural interest, SEGA is reviving core legacy franchises as part of its
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Crazy Taxi: World Tour Responds To AI Criticism
After more than two decades, Sega finally showed off a new mainline Crazy Taxi game at the Xbox summer showcase in Crazy Taxi: World Tour. At first, the internet rejoiced in a chorus of longtime fans singing "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" together once more. Then, shortly after, it was revealed
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Sega stuffed generative AI into Crazy Taxi: World Tour, slamming the brakes on all the excitement after a 3-year wait
The Xbox Game Showcase's best announcement was undoubtedly the actual announcement of Crazy Taxi: World Tour after it was teased three years ago. So, of course Sega has immediately killed all of that goodwill by confirming it used generative AI for it. During the showcase, a trailer kicked off
[7]
Why Do You Need Generative AI To Make Crazy Taxi? - Kotaku
I was really stoked for a new Crazy Taxi game. Sega's been teasing it for a while now, so I knew it was coming, but the reveal today was still exciting. I love the silly energy of Crazy Taxi, the ridiculous yet fun overuse of The Offspring, and crashing into stuff for no reason. But I guess I'm not
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Sega unveiled Crazy Taxi: World Tour at Xbox's summer showcase, marking the franchise's return after two decades. But excitement quickly turned to controversy when a generative AI disclosure appeared on the game's Steam page. The company confirmed using AI tools during development, sparking immediate player backlash over ethical concerns and artistic integrity.
Sega Reveals Crazy Taxi: World Tour Amid Generative AI Controversy
Sega's long-awaited return to Crazy Taxi has arrived with mixed reactions. At Xbox's summer showcase, the company unveiled Crazy Taxi: World Tour, slated for release in 2027 on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X
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. The trailer showcased fast-paced driving through a bright San Francisco-style city, with original driver Axel back behind the wheel. Side activities like fishing mini-games and pizza delivery challenges expand the formula beyond the series' simple arcade setup2
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Source: PC Gamer
But the celebration was short-lived. A generative AI disclosure on the game's Steam page immediately sparked player backlash and shifted the conversation from nostalgia to ethical concerns
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.Sega's Use of Generative AI as Support Tool for Developers
Sega confirmed on the Steam page that it utilized generative AI during development of Crazy Taxi: World Tour. "At SEGA Corporation, we utilize generative AI as a support tool for developers, aiming to provide better content to our users and enable developers to focus more on creative tasks," the statement reads. The company emphasized that "No AI was used in reference to the performers in the game"
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.Lead producer Kenji Kanno provided additional clarity at Summer Game Fest's Play Days event, explaining that AI in game development served primarily for ideation and reference purposes. "Our artists would pull up [and] generate some of their ideas and then they would look at that generated image and then they would draw the actual thing," Kanno said via translator
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. An expanded statement confirmed the technology was used in "the development of background assets," with all AI-generated content "still subject to review by the development team" through human review processes4
.Player Backlash and AI Criticism Mount
The revelation triggered immediate AI criticism across social media platforms. "Using AI slop to make shit for you, more like Lazy Taxi," wrote one Bluesky user, a sentiment that quickly became the dominant response
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. The controversy feels particularly jarring given Crazy Taxi's anti-establishment aesthetic, with its pop-punk soundtrack and rebellious spirit now paired with technology many view as corporate cost-cutting3
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Source: TechSpot
Critics raise concerns about artistic integrity, the environmental cost of large-scale computing, and the fact that many generative AI models are trained on existing artists' work without consent
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. The technology is increasingly positioned as a threat to creative jobs, with concerns about job displacement across film, books, and video games5
.Related Stories
Revival of Classic Franchise Within Broader Industry Shift
Crazy Taxi: World Tour represents part of Sega's Next Level marketing campaign to revitalize legacy franchises. At The Game Awards in 2023, Sega announced plans to reboot five classic properties: Crazy Taxi, Golden Axe, Shinobi, Streets of Rage, and Jet Set Radio
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. However, a "super-game" initiative announced simultaneously was recently shut down internally1
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Source: Eurogamer
Sega isn't alone in embracing AI tools—many studios are experimenting with AI-assisted production, while others have publicly rejected it
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. Recent precedents show consequences: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lost a Game of the Year award after developer Sandfall Interactive was accused of using AI placeholder assets that shipped in the final game5
. Some awards bodies now disqualify works made with generative AI from consideration.Kanno acknowledged the ongoing controversy: "Moving forward in the future [generative AI] is probably going to be more of a hot topic, but I think that's all I can say right now on how we use generative AI for this game"
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. How players respond to this mix of nostalgia-driven properties and newer development practices remains uncertain as the 2027 release approaches.References
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