Crazy Taxi: City Rush is a new mobile game that's free-to-hey-hey-hey

Sega announced Crazy Taxi: City Rush this morning, a new free-to-play entry that's being developed exclusively for mobiles. Kenji Kanno, the man who created the original 1999 arcade game, is back as an exec producer on the series' first new entry in seven years.

The dev behind the steering wheel is Hardlight Studios, the mobile specialist team that recently delivered Sonic Dash. Hardlight is going with one-touch controls like swiping to switch between lanes, but the aim of City Rush remains the same: grab some unsuspecting passenger and deliver them to their destination as quickly and recklessly as possible.

Looking at the nitty-gritty features, in City Rush you can cab Facebook friends around the city, and there's support for both portrait and landscape play. Most important of all, you select your own music to drive to; we've already got the four Offspring and Bad Religion songs we need lined up and ready to cycle endlessly.

Also, Sega is marking today's announcement by making the original Crazy Taxi free on iOS and Android for a limited time. Meanwhile, City Rush is due to screech onto our sidewalks later this year.

[Image: Sega]

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SEGA TAKES TO THE STREETS IN CRAZY TAXI: CITY RUSH



Legendary Crazy Taxi Franchise Returns to Mobile Platforms with

New Arcade Experience Full of Signature over-the-top Excitement and Action



SAN FRANCISCO, LONDON – March 14, 2014 – SEGA Networks, Inc. is pleased to announce the newest game in one of the company's most iconic franchises: Crazy Taxi™: City Rush. From Kenji Kanno, the creator of the original Crazy Taxi arcade smash hit and Hardlight Studios, one of SEGA's top mobile developers, comes a game reimagined for a new generation of mobile gamers. Crazy Taxi: City Rush captures the spirit of the beloved Crazy Taxi series with one-touch, intuitive controls that make for a fun and frantic ride everyone can enjoy. In Crazy Taxi: City Rush, there's no mission too insane, no stunt too dangerous and no passenger too outrageous...nothing is safe!

Free to download and play for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android devices, Crazy Taxi: City Rush was designed exclusively for mobile and will release globally later this year.

"I'm very excited to finally be able to share with you the first news of Crazy Taxi: City Rush," said Executive Producer and creator of the arcade original, Kenji Kanno. "We are delivering a truly fun game that captures everything our fans love about the original and infusing it with several new features to create an even more fantastic and memorable experience."

Swipe to quickly change lanes, whip around corners, onto sidewalks and ramps to send your cab soaring through the air. Drive crazy through an all-new big city setting.

Crazy Taxi: City Rush will launch with a wide variety of adrenaline-fueled missions, wild challenges – and unique areas to unlock, explore, and master as you progress through the campaign. Customize your cab to increase its power and visual appeal with a wide variety of over-the-top upgrades. Take your friends for a ride and blaze a trail through the city, sidewalks, and alleyways for special rewards.

"Creating a new game for our Crazy Taxi fans is extremely rewarding" said Chris Olson, Senior Vice President of SEGA Networks. "City Rush embodies the spirit of Crazy Taxi with its signature frantic arcade action and crazy stunts and also delivers a new mobile experience with easy one touch controls and social features."

Crazy Taxi: City Rush has soft launched in limited global regions, with plans for a full global release later this year. More information will be released leading up to the game's official launch.

As a special 'thank you' to longtime fans, SEGA is also pleased to announce that the first game, Crazy Taxi, is now free to download on the App Store and Google Play for a limited time.

For more information on Crazy Taxi City Rush, please visit the official Facebook and YouTube page. For supporting assets including a link to the Crazy Taxi: City Rush announcement trailer, please click here.

About SEGA® Europe Ltd.

SEGA® Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including Windows PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA Europe's Web site is located at www.sega.com

About Hardlight

Based in the UK and founded in 2012, Hardlight is an internal development studio owned by SEGA® Corporation. Composed of a small, dedicated team with drive, passion and creativity, Hardlight focuses on making high-quality games for mobile devices. Hardlight is behind Sonic the Hedgehog™'s latest critically acclaimed adventures on mobile platforms: Sonic Jump™ and Sonic Dash™. For more information please visit: www.hardlightstudio.com.