Jet Set Radio 3: Will We Ever See A Sequel?
Jet Set Radio (a.k.a. Jet Grind Radio in the United States) was originally released in 2000 for the ill-fated Sega Dreamcast. Although its platform meant that almost no one bought the game, Jet Set Radio became a huge hit with critics and gamers. The game followed the efforts of a bunch of radical skaters as they fought against evil business conglomerates and spraying graffiti across their urban battlegrounds.
In 2002, Jet Set Radio was followed by an Xbox exclusive sequel, Jet Set Radio Future. Much like its predecessor, JSRF received significant critical praise. Over the next several years, the Jet Set Radio Games inspired numerous other titles, including Insomniac Games' Sunset Overdrive and Team Reptile's Bomb Rush Cyberfunk.
With such a devoted fan base, it may come as a surprise for many to learn that there hasn't been a new entry in the series since 2002. The last high profile Jet Set Radio release was 2013's HD port of the original game for PS3, PlayStation Vita, and Xbox 360. With that in mind, you may rightly be wondering: whatever happened to Jet Set Radio? And will there ever be a true sequel?
The unmade JSR sequels
Despite the massive popularity of Jet Set Radio and its sequel, a third game has not been produced. That's not to say that multiple attempts have not been made, however. When the Nintendo Wii was in development, Kuju Studios collaborated with concept artist Corey S. Lewis to pitch a new Jet Set Radio game to Sega. According to Unseen64, Sega was "not interested" in Kuju's pitch, ending any development on that project.
Years later, in 2017, Dinosaur Games also pitched a new entry in the series to Sega under the working title Jet Set Radio Evolution. According to Dinosaur Games' Jesse Sosa, Sega also turned Dinosaur Games down without any concrete reasons.
In mid-2020, Jet Set Radio lead designer Kazuki Hosokawa told USGamer that a producer told him that he and his team were "too old and experienced" to create a new Jet Set Radio game with the same energy as the original. While Hosokawa still admired the work he and his team did on the first game on the series, Sega's continued reluctance to green light a new Jet Set Radio project have seemingly squashed any hopes for a sequel.