According to a developer interview, the upcoming reboot of the classic SEGA franchise, Crazy Taxi, will reportedly be an open-world MMO, or at least house many elements of the genre.
The interview on YouTube (per Automaton Media, via Engadget) with series producer Kenji Kanno points to many of the MMO elements that Crazy Taxi is looking to incorporate into the reboot. The interview confirms some things, such as the map being inspired by California, and that players will be driving around its open world with other players, though the interview is quick to note that the SEGA team is still testing its mechanics.
Exactly how the "MMO" mechanics work, outside of simply having multiplayer, will remain to be seen. This could simply be something on the scale of a Grand Theft Auto Online and other session-based open-world theme parks. However, the job listings noted by both Engadget and Automaton Media point to listings where SEGA is looking to build Crazy Taxi into an "open-world, mass multiplayer driving game" (via Google Translate).
We'll have to wait to see how this all shakes out in the end, but a multiplayer Crazy Taxi could scratch an itch many series fans have wanted since the original game was first released back in 1999. I know personally, playing it in the arcade with my brothers, we would take turns to see who could get up to the craziest antics during our runs - now it sounds like we will be able to do it all in the same world, togther.
