// PC GAMER — GAMING
Generative AI 'was only used as a reference,' Crazy Taxi creator says: Artists would 'look at that generated image and draw the actual thing'
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In response to questions about the use of generative AI in Crazy Taxi: World Tour, series creator Kenji Kanno defended it as merely a tool used by artists who created the content used in the game."We used it as a reference, so our artists would generate some ideas, and then they would look at that generated image and draw the actual thing," Kanno said. "So the actual creators, everything from programming to assets, everything is made by an actual human. [Generative AI] was 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."Asked whether the benefits of using generative AI justified the backlash, Kanno added, "For us, the extent of how we used generative AI is only what I mentioned earlier—for ideas, and as a reference. Moving forward in the future, it's probably going to be more of a hot topic, but I think that's all I can say right now of what we used generative AI for for this game."
It didn't take long, but it happened to me. Less than a week after PC Gamer's Andy Chalk wrote about how these gaming trailer livestreams would start to have their hype trains robbed and wrecked by AI disclosures, I saw it. Crazy Taxi: World Tour, a game I was reasonably excited for, was made with help from generative AI.
"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," the game's Steam page reads. "No AI was used in reference to the performers in the game."
I assume that last bit is referring specifically to voice work. Game Informer's Brian Shea got an expanded statement from Sega which he posted on Bluesky. It includes the extra line, "Assets generated were still subject to review by the development team." It's still a bit vague, but suggests that it was used to create art and not only as a coding assistant.
Fans on social media are not happy. "Using AI slop to make shit for you, more like Lazy Taxi," wrote mat-draws on Bluesky. It's quickly becoming the thing to say. "Lazy Taxi," concurred Bluesky user tehsnakerer. "Lazy Taxi," mused mluckas, also on Bluesky. On Reddit, user RORSCHACH_INC_ commented, "Know what... think I'll just walk home."
It's perhaps especially galling given the faux-counterculture aesthetics Crazy Taxi has always wrapped itself in, blaring pop punk as you try not to crash into the nearest KFC. The AI use, combined with the fact that this is apparently an open world campaign-driven game that takes you across five different cities, suggests that a Crazy Taxi game in 2027 is a very different prospect to the 1999 arcade classic.
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Justin first became enamored with PC gaming when World of Warcraft and Neverwinter Nights 2 rewired his brain as a wide-eyed kid. As time has passed, he's amassed a hefty backlog of retro shooters, CRPGs, and janky '90s esoterica. Whether he's extolling the virtues of Shenmue or troubleshooting some fiddly old MMO, it's hard to get his mind off games with more ambition than scruples. When he's not at his keyboard, he's probably birdwatching or daydreaming about a glorious comeback for real-time with pause combat. Any day now...