Sega's Crazy Taxi World Tour announced amid AI backlash

The announcement of a new Crazy Taxi game, a beloved arcade racing series dormant for over two decades, has been significantly overshadowed by controversy over its development methods. Sega revealed Crazy Taxi World Tour during the Xbox Games Showcase on June 7, 2026, with a planned release across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC in 2027. While the trailer sparked nostalgia with its fast-paced driving, colorful art style, and signature soundtrack featuring The Offspring, a disclosure on the game's Steam page quickly drew a negative reaction from many fans.

The disclosure states that Sega utilized generative artificial intelligence as a support tool during the game's development. According to the company's statement, "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." It further clarifies that "No AI was used in reference to the performers in the game." In a follow-up statement provided to media, Sega specified that generative AI was used to support teams during the development of background assets, and that any AI-generated assets were reviewed...