While Sega had previously confirmed that it had been working on bringing back some of its older franchises – namely Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi – the company has now announced a wider initiative, dubbed the Sega Universe, to spotlight its old IP. Going with the tagline “No old, stay gold,” the company has acknowledged on its official website that “With changing eras, some things were lost.”
The official Sega Universe website is a bit vague about the company’s larger plans when it comes to these old IPs. However, among the ideas it seems to be exploring is to explore a world “beyond games”, and expand into “film, music, fashion, and even further forms of entertainment.” A video, which you can check out, gives us some examples of these expansion plans.
The video showcases what appears to be a new line of merchandise that will revolve around older Sega IP, like NiGHTS and Sakura Wars. The character in the video eventually decides to open her window, only to see a cityscape dotted with references to classic Sega games like Rent A Hero and OutRun, among others.
The complete list of its classic franchises that Sega is targeting appears to be Fantasy Zone, OutRun, Streets of Rage, Rent A Hero, Guardian Heroes, NiGHTS, Dynamite Deka, Sakura Wars, and SGGG. The website also lets you sample some classic tracks from the soundtrack of these games, which span across platforms from the old-school arcade machines, all the way to Sega’s final console – the Dreamcast.
As for its reboot of Jet Set Radio, Sega had confirmed back in December 2023 that it would feature an open world. While not too many details about it have been revealed as of yet, the company has promised players that they can “experience the ‘rebellion movement that feels free in a suffocating society” and that they can “make friends, increase your fans, and create a movement.”
Rumors from 2024 had indicated that the core structure of the Jet Set Radio reboot is going to be similar to Fortnite. What this means is still unknown, but shooter mechanics are reportedly “planned” to be added to the game, joining the original’s graffiti and skating-centric gameplay. Along with this, reports have also indicated that a remake of the original Jet Set Radio is planned for release before the reboot.
With Crazy Taxi, Sega has confirmed that its planned reboot of the series will be “massively multiplayer”, allowing players to drive around in an open world. These details were confirmed through official job listings, which also described the reboot as being “theme park-like”.
Sega hasn’t yet confirmed when the reboots of Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi will be released. However, a report from February 2024 had indicated that Sega, at least at the time, was aiming to release its new Jet Set Radio game in 2026, with Crazy Taxi slated for a 2027 launch. Both titles are also reportedly being developed for the Nintendo Switch 2 alongside the other console and PC versions.
