One of the most eye-catching announcements from The Game Awards 2023 was that SEGA is breathing new life into some of its old franchises, and we now know that the Jet Set Radio reboot, at least, will have the original creators involved.
The news comes via a Washington Post interview with Sega of America CEO Shuji Utsumi, where he confirmed that “The concept of games like Jet Set Radio is advanced. The original creators are involved again, and its time is now. It’s a good time where people can appreciate all kinds of concepts.”
Utsumi is most likely referring to staff members such as Masayoshi Kikuchi, who directed the original game and has more recently acted as a producer on several Like a Dragon games, and artist Ryuta Ueda, whose concepts spawned Jet Set Radio and who returned to SEGA in 2021 following several years pursuing other opportunities. However, their specific involvement in the Jet Set Radio reboot is unconfirmed.
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As part of the interview, Utsumi also revealed that the reboots are intended to hark back to the days when the company used the “SEGA does what Nintendon’t” slogan, saying that “We really want to show edginess and a rebellious mindset.”
Beyond Jet Set Radio, SEGA also revealed new Crazy Taxi, Streets of Rage, Shinobi, and Golden Axe games. The teaser also hinted at more to come, with Utsumi saying that the company is also “evaluating” Virtua Fighter. “Virtua Fighter doesn’t use so many tricks, special moves like in Street Fighter, it’s very realistic,” he said. “How can we make it more dramatic? It’s something we’re working on.”
