Fans of Gran Turismo need not wait any longer for the next iteration of the franchise as Sony and Polyphony Digital announced today, on the day of the series’ 15th anniversary, that Gran Turismo 6 will be coming out this holiday season! While I’m not particularly surprised by this announcement given the numerous hints and teases last week, this comes as good news to people like myself who waited painfully for Gran Turismo 5 to even come out. To put things into perspective, fans of the series had to wait 5 years since the release of Gran Turismo 4 to get a new numbered iteration of the franchise. And no, I don’t count Gran Turismo 5 Prologue or Gran Turismo HD.
More surprising is the part of the announcement that Gran Turismo 6 is being released on the PlayStation 3. While this is understandable given the PlayStation 3’s current install base and sell through of Gran Turismo 5, I was personally hoping for Sony to surprise us by saying that there would be a specific version available for the PlayStation 4 at its launch.
Gran Turismo 6 will boast a brand new physics engine that should provide better simulation of suspension, tires, and aerodynamics. The title will also have a total of 1,200 cars in it, which is the most in the history of the series. The developers also added that players will also be able to customize their cars much more than in previous iterations. With regards to the track line-up, the Silverstone Circuit in the UK will be one of the seven new tracks in the game, bringing the total number of tracks up to 33 with about 71 total variants all in all. 19 layouts will be all new and exclusive to Gran Turismo 6. This new engine will also have “expanded connectivity with other devices and increased social and community functions.”
Not confirmed is how these other devices with be integrated into the title, but I have a feeling that it might be tied to a new GPS data feature that’s integrated with the course maker function of the game. Will having a Gran Turismo app running on your phone allow you to upload a “recording” of your GPS locations and driving data onto the course maker and turn all this information into a track or an event?
While much of what I said in the previous paragraph may be conjecture, I can easily say that there’s again a sense of excitement and wonder with how Gran Turismo 6 is going to revolutionize the racing genre with its promised connectivity. It’s also easy to forget the whole reason why this game was announced in this manner; It’s been 15 years since the first Gran Turismo was released, and Kazunori Yamauchi, of course, promises that there’s much more to come.
“It is amazing to think that it is 15 years since we first released Gran Turismo. Things have changed a lot since then and now Gran Turismo 6 is a further evolution of my dream. We’re pleased to deliver GT6 to PlayStation 3 as we have a very loyal community on that platform. However, we have refactored the game to make it very flexible and expandable, with a view to making many future developments.
“I am very pleased with everything about the new game and the new additions, but the launch will only be the beginning for GT6. The game will continue to develop throughout its life. I already have many ideas for things I want to achieve in the next 15 years of Gran Turismo!”
Source(s):
Gamer Horizon 