Crazy Taxi: World Tour Developer Embraces Generative AI Despite Ongoing Debates

After more than twenty years, Sega has finally unveiled a new mainline entry in the Crazy Taxi series with Crazy Taxi: World Tour at the Xbox summer showcase. Fans of the franchise initially celebrated with excitement, echoing the iconic “yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah” refrain. However, the mood shifted when it was disclosed that generative AI played a role in the game’s development.

This information surfaced through a note on the game’s Steam page, which stated:

At SEGA Corporation, we utilize generative AI as a support tool for developers, aiming to provide better content to our users and enable developers to focus more on creative tasks.

We have used such generative AI support tools during development of Crazy Taxi: World Tour. No AI was used in reference to the performers in the game.

In a follow-up statement, Sega clarified that the technology was employed for “the development of background assets,” emphasizing that any AI-generated content underwent review by the development team.

During the Summer Game Fest’s Play Days event, a presentation hosted by original series creator Kenji Kanno showcased some of World Tour’s quirky side missions and mini-games, highlighting the game’s chaotic driving action. When the subject of generative AI arose, Kanno elaborated on its application.

“We used it as a reference,” Kanno explained through a translator. “Our artists would generate ideas and then use those generated images as inspiration to create the actual assets. Everything, from programming to assets, is crafted by real people. The AI serves merely as a reference point for the creative process.”

I also inquired about how the World Tour team balances the advantages of generative AI with potential public backlash. Kanno acknowledged the ongoing controversy surrounding the technology but reiterated that it would only be used for reference purposes, not for any in-game content.

“For us, the extent of how we use generative AI is only what I mentioned earlier,” Kanno stated. “[It’s] just for ideas and just as a reference. Moving forward, generative AI will likely remain a hot topic, but that’s all I can share about its use in this game.”

Despite some public resistance, numerous major game development studios are incorporating generative AI into their workflows. This trend has faced significant criticism, as the technology relies on existing works by human artists, leading to concerns about plagiarism without proper credit or compensation. Additionally, the technology is often viewed as a threat to creative jobs, as corporations seek to cut labor costs across various sectors, including gaming, film, and literature.

Recently, some awards organizations have decided to disqualify works created with generative AI from consideration. For instance, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lost a Game of the Tear award at the Indie Game Awards last year after developer Sandfall Interactive faced accusations of dishonesty regarding its use of AI-generated placeholder assets that made it into the final product. Since then, Sandfall has committed to ensuring that all future game content will be created by human hands.