Gran Turismorecently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and to commemorate the occasion, Polyphony Digital released a message detailing the franchise’s growth over the years. The originalGran Turismowas released in 1997 for the PlayStation 1, and it quickly became a smash hit. The game was praised for its realistic graphics and physics, and its large selection of cars.Gran Turismowas also one of the first racing games to feature licensed tracksfrom real-world locations.
Gran Turismohas also been credited with popularizing the use of simulated vehicle damage and tire wear in racing games.Gran Turismo 2was released in 1999, and it built on the success of the first game. After that Polyphony Digital released several titles in theGran Turismoseries, but the one that reallychanged the dynamics of the series wasGran Turismo Sport, which was released in 2017. Featuring jaw-dropping graphics, lifelike car models, and realistic physics,Gran Turismo Sportset a new standard for racing games.
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On the 25th anniversary ofGran Turismo, Polyphony Digital president Kazunori Yamauchi shared a message revealing that over the past 25 years,Gran Turismosold over 90 million copies of the game. Kazunori Yamauchi added that he started developing games at the age of 10 andGran Turismowas one of the 100 projects he came up with when he officially started working in the game development industry. He continued on to say that he is grateful for all the support the fans have given him and the game over the years and that he looks forward to continuing to make great games for them in the future.
Kazunori Yamauchi tells the touching story of how the project started with just a group of five members, and how the team has grown to over 200 members today.Gran Turismo’s most recent installment,Gran Turismo 7, was released earlier this year to positive reviews. The studio is continuously trying to fix issues andadd more content toGran Turismo 7to keep its fanbase happy.
For those who are not aware, aGran Turismomovie is also in the works, being directed by Neill Blomkamp, who is known for bringing unique films likeDistrict 9andChappieto life. The script for the movie is written by Jason Hall, who is best known for writing 2014’sAmerican Sniper, and is set to release on July 05, 2025.
