UPDATE: Tokyo Xtreme Racer Early Access delayed in Canada over “legal issue”

Update: Genki has confirmed that the legal issue blocking Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s Early Access release in Canada is now resolved. A new release date is yet to be confirmed, but Genki is working to bring Tokyo Xtreme Racer to Canadian players “as quickly as possible.”

With the help of @ThrowbackCorp, we've been able to sort out the legal issue – Thank you Throwback Corp!

We are working with @Steam to get #TokyoXtremeRacer released in Canada as quickly as possible! Thank you for your continued patience! pic.twitter.com/oqYpc3L4YU

— Tokyo Xtreme Racer (@Tokyo_Xtreme) January 29, 2025

After a nearly 20-year break, Tokyo Xtreme Racer is back, with the Early Access version launching today (23^rd January) on Steam. But while today was supposed to mark the worldwide launch, the Early Access release has suffered an unexpected delay in Canada due to a “legal issue.”

“We are sorry to inform you that we are temporarily suspending the release of Early Access for Tokyo Xtreme Racer in Canada,” a statement on X, formerly Twitter, reads.

“As we were proceeding with the release of Early Access Xtreme Racer, we have found a legal issue in Canada that needs to be cleared before the release of Early Access. We were confident it would be resolved by now but it is unfortunately still in progress.”

Genki hasn’t said what caused the legal issue, but says it is “not related to car manufacturers or part manufacturers.”  

The Japanese developer expects it “will not take much time to release the game.” However, a new Early Access release date is “yet to be determined” for Canada as the “situation is out of Genki’s control.” In the meantime, the Japanese developer will “provide timely updates as the situation develops.”

Out today in Early Access and priced at £24.99 / $29.99, Tokyo Xtreme Racer is a modern reboot of the cult-classic highway racing series, where you challenge passing rivals to head-to-head races on the Tokyo Expressway and earn money to buy and upgrade cars.

The initial Early Access release features nearly 50 cars from several Japanese manufacturers, including Toyota, Mazda, and Nissan, as well as over 200 rivals to challenge and a skill tree progression system.

Although a final release date is yet to be confirmed, Tokyo Xtreme Racer is expected to stay in Early Access for around four months, with more storylines, cars and rivals planned for the final release.

Are you disappointed about Tokyo Xtreme Racer’s delay in Canada? Let us know in the comments below.