AI

SEGA Announces Crazy Taxi: World Tour, Ignites New Controversy [UPDATE: SEGA Clarifies]

by

Update 6/8: Kotaku has asked series creator and the lead of Crazy Taxi: World Tour what exact role AI played in the game’s development and this was his answer: “We used it as a reference. So our artists would pull up [and] generate some of their ideas and then they would look at that, you know, generated image and then they would draw the actual thing. So actual creators, everything from programming to assets, everything is made by an actual human. It’s 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.”

Original article:

SEGA has officially announced the next entry in the Crazy Taxi franchise: Crazy Taxi: World Tour, coming in 2027 to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

The trailer (shown above) was revealed during this year’s Xbox Showcase, three years after the game was first announced back in 2023.

So, what do I think of the trailer and gameplay? Incredible. It looks amazing, and I can’t wait to play it.

So what’s the controversy? If you check the Steam page, there’s an AI Generated Content Disclosure at the bottom of the game’s description:

 

“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”

This disclaimer has caused a huge uproar within the anti-AI community and it’s a complex issue. Some point out that these tools are used to speed up repetitive coding tasks, and as you can read here, SEGA has been fairly open about not using AI to replace creatives, including voice actors and artists.

But how do you all feel about it?

Continue Reading ➜

4 Comments

Sega reveals their return to the console race with the Dreamgen, powered by AI (April Fools)

by

The time has finally come, Sega fans. This news should excite those dedicated old school Sega fans who refuse to support anything Sega has ever done since they left the console race behind them 25 years ago.

It is with great elation that Sega have revealed they are finally re-entering the console hardware business with a sequel to the legendary Dreamcast console. The new Dreamgen will be entirely powered by Sega’s new AI system, Mother Brain, named after the omnipotent AI system managing the entire environment of the planet Mota in Phantasy Star II (1989). Dreamgen’s Mother Brain will play a similar role with the new console, and just like Phantasy Star II’s Mother Brain, it can always be relied upon to function as intended and never cause any major issues.

This announcement is way too huge for you to just have an AI summarize everything for you, so click on past the break below and read on. You don’t want to miss this moment for anything.

Continue Reading ➜

4 Comments

Google Play’s official Twitter gives us a totally accurate history refresher on Sonic the Hedgehog

by

 

You know it’s a slow news day when we’re talking about something like this. Sonic fans everywhere were shocked and confused yesterday, April 27th, 2024, when the official Google Play twitter account decided to give everyone an unhinged informed look back over the years at how Sonic the Hedgehog has evolved with time.

It all began with the above post claiming to show us Sonic as he got “older and older”. As you can see, this tweet was labeled with a community note telling us that the entire thread is inaccurate and does not, in fact, show Sonic getting older and older, while giving helpful links to Wikipedia for context. We’re off to a great start right here.

Take a seat and say goodbye to a couple of brain cells as we journey through Sonic’s aging process through the eyes of Google Play. Take a look past the break once you’ve steeled yourself. (Oh, and click the screenshots of each tweet to be taken to the actual tweet.)

EDIT: Google Play has since deleted the entire thread. Oddly, they have not posted a single thing in the two weeks since then. Post your conspiracies about what happened in the comments below.

Continue Reading ➜

6 Comments