Crazy Taxi: World Tour emerged as one of the standout surprises during the Xbox Games Showcase 2026. The trailer for SEGA’s latest entry confirmed that the arcade-style, high-speed action is back, complete with the classic soundtrack that made the original Crazy Taxi so memorable.

While the announcement was met with enthusiasm, celebrations were short-lived after some fans noticed a warning on the game’s Steam page. The notice clarifies that the use of generative AI was optional, allowing developers to save time and focus more on creative aspects.

In an interview with GameInformer, a SEGA spokesperson expanded on the Steam warning: “Generative AI was used to support our teams during the development of background assets for “Crazy Taxi: World Tour”. Assets generated were still subject to review by the development team.”

Kenji Kanno, creator of the franchise and producer of Crazy Taxi: World Tour, provided further insight: “First, I think I can be a little bit more specific or clear on how we use the generative AI. So, it’s like one small part of the creative process. So, to get a little bit more detailed about our design process, as mentioned earlier, it’s World Tour, and we have five different countries. I can’t say which countries there are today, but our artists, our designers, they actually went to the actual locations, and they took references, and based on that, they came up with the designs.”

Regarding the warning displayed on the Crazy Taxi: World Tour Steam page, Kanno added: “And generally, AI is just one part of that, and is used as a hint or part of the ideation. I think the statement on the Steam page was quite vague, so to make things a bit more clear – and this is a sentiment that both me and our team of talented artists and designers back in Japan share – is that we want to create things ourselves and deliver that as a great experience for our customers. So rest assured, everything in the final product is going to be original.”

Kanno’s remarks focus on defending the creative integrity of the project. Meanwhile, Steam’s notice makes it clear that AI has not been used for any actors involved in the game, most likely referring to voice talent, though this is not explicitly stated.

Crazy Taxi: World Tour does not yet have a confirmed release date, but it is expected to launch sometime in 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC via Steam.

What do you think of SEGA’s statements? Are you excited for the return of Crazy Taxi? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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