GTPlanet

From a very surprising yet highly reliable source, we’ve got the most likely and realistic Gran Turismo 5 release date!  Sony’s chief executive in southern Europe, James Armstrong, revealed in a statement to Spanish newspaper El Financiero that we can expect the game to arrive (in Europe, at least) Christmas 2009.  Here’s the full translated quote:

For next year, the chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment for southern Europe said that they are developing a new game thriller, in which the player may be designing their own history, and the new version of Gran Turismo, which will arrive at Christmas.

This would provide for a late summer release in Japan, and late fall/early winter releases in the United States and Europe.  From a sales perspective, it would also provide the PlayStation franchise with a major blockbuster release heading into next year’s Christmas season.  What do you think?  Join the discussion in our Gran Turismo 5 forum!

In yet another confirmation of the Top Gear test track appearing in Gran Turismo 5, the show has launched a contest giving away 5 free copies of GT5 Prologue.  It’s easy enough to enter - just answer 9 automotive news and Top Gear questions correctly before September 1.  As you might expect, however, only UK residents are eligible, but it’s exciting to see the BBC acknowledge the GT series once again.  See Top Gear’s website for all the questions, terms, and conditions.

In a very interesting statement at E3 today, GT series creator Kazunori Yamauchi brought us both good and bad news.  The good news is that he confirmed that the Polyphony Digital team was focusing nearly all of their efforts on Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, working hard to bring us features like vehicular damage, private online races, new tracks, and more cars.  Of course, there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch, and he added that these updates could push the full version of Gran Turismo 5 back into 2010.  He also confirmed that Gran Turismo Mobile, for the PSP, is still in “active development” but probably not be released until after Gran Turismo 5 (in other words, 2011).

Our own eagle-eyed GTPlanet user FRED SIMÕES pointed out a video on the official website for the new Ferrari California.  The video, as you can see, shows the new car around various locations in the world of Gran Turismo, including Le Sarthe and the Nurburgring Nordschleife.  There are also appears to be several new locations, but whether or not these are actually circuits that will make their way into Gran Turismo 5 or even GT5 Prologue: Spec III remains to be seen (you’ll also notice the is wearing a suit instead of helmet and racing gear).  In the meantime, though, it’s always fun to speculate, so join the fun and share your two cents!