SEGA: Crazy Taxi Reboot Uses AI Only for Artist References

SEGA disclosed its use of generative AI after revealing Crazy Taxi: World Tour at the Xbox Game Showcase. The company says the technology is used only to generate image references for artists.

Kenji Kanno, creator of the original series, told reporters via a translator that developers generate idea images for artists to consult and then recreate by hand. “We used it as a reference,” he said. “So our artists would pull up [and] generate some of their ideas and then they would look at that, you know, generated image and then they would draw the actual thing.”

Kanno stressed that programming, 3D modeling, textures and other final assets are produced by members of the development team rather than by generative systems. “So actual creators, everything from programming to assets, everything is made by an actual human. It’s only used as a reference for them to look at and then they would actually create the actual thing that would go into the game,” he added.

He described the current role of generative AI on the project as limited to idea generation and reference images. “For us, the extent of how we use generative AI is only what I mentioned earlier,” Kanno noted. “[It’s] just for ideas and just as a reference.” He said the topic may draw more attention in the future.

The comments come as companies in the entertainment and technology sectors assess how to use generative tools while addressing questions about authorship, attribution and labor.

Crazy Taxi is an arcade-style series known for time-limited taxi driving gameplay and bright city environments. SEGA says the reboot will revisit that gameplay using modern production pipelines; the studio’s description outlines one part of how the team is working with new tools alongside traditional art and programming.