At the recent TGA (The Game Awards), SEGA surprised everyone by announcing not 1, but 5 new titles for their legacy franchises.
Being one of the oldest game developers and publishers in the business, SEGA has a plethora of amazing franchises that we haven’t seen for some time. While the likes of Sonic has had several iterations, over multiple generations, there have been a number of franchises that have not appeared in over a decade. Now 5 of these are in development and we got a first glimpse via a short reveal trailer.
Crazy Taxi
This wild and whacky racing franchise, sees you traverse a chaotic traffic packed city, as you bring passengers to there destination. It’s been almost 10 years since a mobile iteration was released, while it has been over 20 years since the last numbered sequel appeared on Xbox and PC. Fingers crossed for a pumping soundtrack and addictive gameplay.
Golden Axe
If you had a SEGA Mega Drive back in the day, you likely played this side-scrolling beat ’em up. Originally an arcade classic, Golden Axe received a number of sequels, console ports and spin-offs. The franchise was last seen on the 7th generation of consoles, with Golden Axe: Beast Riders. This was a 3D iteration which was not highly rated. The new look title is also in the 3D aspect, but hopefully this will return to greatness.
Jet Set Radio
This franchise combines action packed traversal around vibrant Tokyo-to with skating, self-expression through graffiti, street culture and rebellious themes. Jet Set Radio got a HD remaster back in 2012, but this will be the first 3D sequel since Jet Set Radio Future back in 2002.
Shinobi
The new Shinobi title looks to follow it’s 2D side-scrolling roots, as it has beautiful 2D sprites and fast-paced action. I’m really excited to see this game, as the last title released on the 3DS in 2011.
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage was in the doldrums for almost 20 years, before a true sequel in Streets of Rage 4 released in 2020. Now this next iteration is swapping its 2D side-scrolling aspect to a 3D world beat ’em up. Can SEGA pull it off? We’ll have to wait and see.
SEGA are also suggesting that these are just 5 games in development from their legacy franchises. Expect to see more announcements and news in 2024. What game are you looking forward to learning more about, or which SEGA franchise would you like to see return? Let us know in the comments.
