I previously had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Kenji Kanno, the producer of the "Crazy Taxi" series, at the Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles, California. At that time, he demonstrated many aspects of the series' reboot, Crazy Taxi: Global Tour, at the Sega booth.
It wasn't an exclusive interview back then; the venue was very noisy, and Mr. Kenji Kanno was under the watchful eye of Sega's president, so he couldn't reveal much information.
This time, at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, Mr. Kenji Kanno and I finally found a quiet spot to have a good chat—although, compared to the brief interview last time, the old gentleman still didn't loosen up too much with the information.
Below is the full interview:
Q: As everyone knows, "Crazy Taxi" is a very old series. It has been a long time since the last mainline entry, with the series history spanning nearly thirty years. What was the thinking behind deciding to bring this IP back?
Kenji Kanno:The reason is simple: I wanted to see people smile because of my games again. Several factors coincided—I personally always had the idea of bringing "Crazy Taxi" back; my supervisor suggested remaking the series in a new form; and at the same time, there was a company-wide movement to revive classic IPs. Thus, Crazy Taxi: Global Tour was born.
Q: Compared to previous entries in the series, what is the biggest upgrade in Crazy Taxi: Global Tour? While preserving the classic arcade experience, what optimizations have you made for launching on new platforms?
Kenji Kanno:When the project started, we faced two major challenges—well, actually more than two, but these were the main ones:
First is the single-player story mode. We want to convey the world of "Crazy Taxi" completely to every player, so we have prepared different characters and brand-new visuals. In the original Crazy Taxi, players could only drive in one city, San Francisco, but the scale this time is entirely different.
Second is the multiplayer mode. We have a very experienced director on our team who made online multiplayer possible. Additionally, Crazy Taxi: Global Tour retains the classic arcade mode, allowing series fans to enjoy the authentic gameplay just like before.
Q: Crazy Taxi: Global Tour will feature a global adventure centered around the original protagonist, Axel. Can you tell us about the story setting and characters?
Kenji Kanno:As you said, the story focuses on our original protagonist, Axel. It all starts when his taxi is stolen, and he travels the world to get it back—that's the general storyline. However, we have prepared some surprises that we can't reveal yet, which will be disclosed gradually later. Please look forward to them. We hope that not only longtime fans but also new players will enjoy it.
Q: Fans are familiar with the classic stunt moves from the "Crazy Taxi" series. In the previous Summer Game Fest demo for Crazy Taxi: Global Tour, I saw many new stunts—and it was mentioned that more would be revealed later. Now that we're at Gamescom after such a long time, what new stunts can you disclose?
Kenji Kanno:The classic Crazy Dash is, of course, included, but we've also added new moves, such as 180-degree turns or Back Dashes followed by a 180-degree spin. Players will be able to perform tricks like these in the game.
But I can't pull it off myself (laughs).
Q: Since there is a multiplayer mode this time, how do you balance cooperation and competition? Will there be designs like ranked matches, seasons, and leaderboards for players to compete against each other?
Kenji Kanno:The core concept of the multiplayer mode is to cruise around with friends or compete against others, with less emphasis on ranked play. Moreover, we will hold a closed network test on the weekend of September 12–14. We hope as many players as possible will try it out. We will carefully listen to feedback and implement it into the game.
Q: What is the core purpose of this test? What kind of feedback do you most hope to receive from players?
Kenji Kanno:The primary purpose of conducting a network test is naturally technical—we want to verify whether Everythinggj works properly on the network level when players from all over the world log in simultaneously. On top of that, we certainly want to see players' genuine reactions and then incorporate their feedback into the game.
Q: The map revealed at Gamescom this time is Germany. At the booth, we can see designs with strong German flavors, such as castles and Gothic architecture. So, what is the design philosophy for the global city maps in Crazy Taxi: Global Tour? In the future, which countries, cultures, cities, or iconic landmarks can we expect to see added to the game?
Kenji Kanno:The main reason is that there are already too many racing games following the open-world route. We wanted to offer a different perspective. Later, we thought that "touring the world" itself might be a more interesting direction, so we settled on five cities in different countries.
We wanted to recreate the local atmosphere as authentically as possible. So, we started with the design, and then our team went to Germany for on-site research to capture the real feel—we visited Cologne, a historic castle town in Germany, and conducted surveys along the German highways.
Q: Will there be any Chinese cities in the lineup?
Kenji Kanno:Please look forward to it. We want to save the surprises for everyone and will announce them at the appropriate time.
Q: At the last Summer Game Fest, I wanted to ask about the music, but couldn't due to time constraints. Can we talk about it this time? For example, will different cities have their own exclusive theme music?
Kenji Kanno:We are considering the most appropriate timing for the announcement, so please look forward to it.
Q: The president isn't here this time, right? Why not sneak in a few more details?
Kenji Kanno:Ah! Look at that potted plant; the president is actually hiding inside it.
Q: With the reboot of the "Crazy Taxi" IP, what core experiences do you want to deliver to both longtime fans and new players?
Kenji Kanno:I've always believed that everyone can find their own playstyle. I don't want to dictate how people should play or control the game; each player will find fun in their own rhythm. Also, there's no shortage of disheartening news in the world right now. In times like these, it's even more important to let people enjoy games and bring smiles back to everyone's faces.
Q: Finally, do you have any message for Chinese players?
Kenji Kanno:I have always been grateful to Chinese players, so I want to start by saying thank you—thank you for waiting so long. I also hope everyone will sign up for the closed network test and experience it firsthand. If given the chance, I would very much like to visit China myself.