Sega's new entry in the Crazy Taxi series, Crazy Taxi: City Rush, is scheduled for release in 2027. The development team recently introduced the project's inception, the two multiplayer rule sets, and the three core pillars supporting the new game's development.
Creative Producer Kenji Kanno stated that the new game was greenlit because his vision for a new entry, his superiors' desire to revive the series, and Sega's policy of developing new games based on old IPs all aligned. The company's restructuring at the time also made it easier to assemble the team, and the project was officially announced at TGA 2023.
Kanno served as director and game designer for the original Crazy Taxi, became producer starting with Crazy Taxi 2, and also worked on Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller, released in 2002. However, approximately 99% of the team behind Crazy Taxi: City Rush had not participated in the earlier entries in the series. Yo Momose, who directed Border Break, joins the series for the first time as director.
In the early stages of development, the team focused on realistic taxi experiences, with slower vehicle speeds than in the final version, but the results were unsatisfactory. After reconsideration, the developers established time limits, high-speed street driving, and passenger transport as the core elements, expanding upon these for various missions in the story mode, "World Tour." Music and intuitive controls are also considered essential components of the series; the revealed trailer features The Offspring's song "All I Want."
Multiplayer gameplay is divided into two rule sets. In the first, all players act as taxi drivers competing to deliver passengers to their destinations. The second is an asymmetric mode where four taxi drivers face off against two police officers. Police can prevent passengers from entering taxis and arrest drivers, temporarily disabling them, while other taxi drivers can rescue their teammates.
The map design emphasizes a sense of "freedom within constraints." By appropriately limiting routes and choices, players can more easily find their own driving style. Each map offers various paths, such as main roads and narrow alleys, with a high density of drivable space. The Japan map features real-world locations and facilities like Shibuya 109, ABC-MART, and Sega game centers, while details such as highway following distances have been adjusted for gameplay purposes.
Kanno summarized the game's three development pillars as the story mode, multiplayer gameplay, and refreshed controls. The story mode will further expand on the series' worldview and characters, while the new control scheme continues the design philosophy of not restricting players to a single correct route, providing positive feedback for different playstyles such as skillful driving or prioritizing speed.