Screamer, Italy’s answer to Ridge Racer, is getting a reboot with cutscenes by one of Japan’s top animation studios 

Screamer – an upcoming reboot to the classic 1995 racing video game of the same name – was announced last week at The Game Awards 2024. In addition to the news that the reboot will be produced by Italian game studio Milestone (the rebranded company behind the original Screamer), it was revealed that Polygon Pictures will be producing animated scenes for the game, as seen in the trailer below: 

Established over 40 years ago, Polygon Pictures is known for its 3DCG contributions to anime films such as Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, the Ajin trilogy, and Blame! It has also worked on a wide range of video games. The studio did the opening animation for Street Fighter IV and provided character and background designs for Street Fighter V, also producing the latter’s opening and trailer movies. Recently it collaborated with Cygames on the stunning 3D anime action RPG Granblue Fantasy: Relink. 

According to Polygon Pictures Executive Producer and Head of International Business Development Jack Liang via gamebiz, many members of the studio grew up playing Screamer and are proud to be working with Milestone on the upcoming reboot:  

“Milestone offers high-quality action, innovative style, and immersive experiences, which is in line with our mission to deliver unparalleled quality to the world. We can’t wait for everyone to experience the new Screamer.” 

The original Screamer was released for MS-DOS computers in 1995 and uses texture-mapped polygon-modelled tracks and cars, making it look a lot like Namco’s Ridge Racer (1993) – a game that has had a profound impact on many developers. Three sequels were produced – including Screamer 2, Screamer Rally, and Screamer 4×4 – with each entry deviating from the series’ roots.  

The upcoming Screamer reboot looks to bring things back to the road racing origins of the original, where players are taken to a futuristic city to race to their hearts’ content. For the first time, it looks as though Screamer will have a story, as Milestone says that the game will feature “a deep storyline enriched by interwoven character arcs that draw inspiration from anime and manga from the ’80s and ’90s.” The game will also “combine plot themes of human will, revenge, love, and greed with classic science fiction imagery; immersing players in the clash between personal desires and external forces that seek to control them.”  

That’s a lot of narrative-heavy promises to put into a racing video game but if anyone were to pull it off successfully, it would have to be a studio like Milestone that has almost 30 years of experience with the genre. The Screamer reboot will also feature the talents of Troy Baker, so you can bet that the voice actor will be providing compelling dialogue to the game alongside Polygon Pictures’ animations. 

Screamer (the reboot) is scheduled to be released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC in 2026.