SEGA has revealed a ‘new era’ of classic IP revivals, with new games in five cherished franchises in active development. Specifically, Crazy Taxi, Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio, Shinobi, and Streets of Rage.
“In recent years, Sonic the Hedgehog has forged new paths for SEGA, bringing the franchise to life and reaching new audiences in ways we had only dreamed of in the past. Building off that success, we are digging into our legacy and reimagining several franchises to bring these games to more audiences around the globe,” said Sega of America’s Shuji Utsumi.
Although snippets of footage and a handful of screenshots have been released, details for all five are thin on the ground. We don’t even currently know if these are in-house projects or if they’ve been farmed out to smaller indie studios.
Crazy Taxi appears to feature more than just yellow cabs, with footage showing police cars. Jet Set Radio also appears similar to the original visually, sporting bright and vibrant visuals. Shinobi is a 2D affair with fitting Japanese line art, while Streets of Rage doesn’t seem to be a side-scrolling brawler but rather a 3D battler with urban areas.
Golden Axe isn’t a side-scrolling brawler either, but rather a third-person hack ‘n slasher with close melee combat and mountable beasts. Imagine a modern take on the flawed Golden Axe: Beast Rider. Gilius Thunderhead appears predominantly in footage.
Plans for more updates are already being made. “Today’s announcement is just the start of our initiative. First and foremost, our ambition will be to create great games with memorable characters and worlds. We hope fans of all ages will look towards our future with anticipation as we release these projects in the coming years, continued Shuji Utsumi.
Streets of Rage 4 and Bomb Rush Cyberfunk are going to be hard acts to follow, so SEGA certainly has their work cut out modernising their classic IP.