Netflix is expanding its growing collection of video game adaptations with a major new partnership with Sega. The collaboration will bring several recognizable gaming properties to the screen in completely different formats.
The upcoming projects include a “Crazy Taxi” movie, a new “Sonic the Hedgehog” animated series, and a live-action adaptation of “Stranger Than Heaven.”
While all three projects are still in development, Netflix and Sega have already shared some interesting details about what we can expect. The partnership also arrives as Sega continues pushing several of its biggest franchises beyond traditional gaming.
‘Crazy Taxi’ Is Getting The Live-Action Comedy Treatment
The biggest surprise from this new partnership may be “Crazy Taxi.” Both companies confirmed on September 14 that the classic driving game is being developed as a live-action comedy. Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, co-writers of the 2025 reboot of “The Naked Gun,” have been tapped to write the adaptation.
Neal H. Moritz and Toby Ascher will produce the movie, alongside Sega producer Toru Nakahara. Moritz and Ascher have previously been involved with the successful “Sonic the Hedgehog” movie franchise. With their involvement, Sega is bringing some of the experience behind its biggest Hollywood success into the new project.
“Crazy Taxi” originally debuted in arcades in 1999 before later making its way to Sega Dreamcast and other platforms. The game puts players behind the wheel of a taxi. They must pick up passengers and reach each destination before time runs out.
It ultimately became popular for its frantic driving, huge jumps, and anything-goes approach to traffic rules. The game’s chaotic concept appears to be something the filmmakers intend to preserve in the adaptation. Sega described its plans for the movie as “Hilariously crazy.” The producers have also teased a version built around the over-the-top energy that made the game memorable.
Sega is also preparing to bring the franchise back to gaming with “Crazy Taxi World Tour.” The new installment is scheduled to arrive in 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. It will follow Axel as he takes his taxi business around the world and will introduce the series’ first online multiplayer mode.
Netflix Is Bringing Sonic Back With A Brand-New Series
Sonic is also returning to Netflix, but apparently, the new animated project will be quite different from “Sonic Prime.” Instead of continuing the earlier show, Netflix is developing a separate series aimed at a younger audience.
Carlos Stevens and Toru Nakahara are developing the upcoming project. It will feature Sonic and his friends as a group of heroes and will mix fast-paced comedy with an emotional story about friendship and teamwork. According to Netflix, the show is being created for an upper-preschool audience.
Sega has teased the project as a version of Sonic that will be “cute yet cool.” Netflix has not yet announced the new show’s official title or voice cast, and the premiere date is still unknown.
‘Stranger Than Heaven’ Will Become A Live-Action Movie
The third project under the partnership goes in a different direction. Netflix is developing a live-action adaptation of “Stranger Than Heaven,” the upcoming game from RGG Studio. They were previously behind Sega’s “Like a Dragon” and “Yakuza” franchises.
Unlike the colorful world of “Sonic” and “Crazy Taxi,” this project will take Netflix into crime-drama territory. The game takes place across early 20th-century Japan. It centers on a foreigner who rises from poverty to become a feared figure in the yakuza. His journey eventually takes him into the entertainment business, where he builds a much larger empire.
Netflix says the story will explore his rise alongside themes of honor and betrayal during a period of major change in Japan. Interestingly, the streamer is committing to the adaptation before the game has even been released. Sega currently lists “Stranger Than Heaven” for January 15, 2027, so audiences will still be getting to know the property while development is in progress.
