Gran Turismo’s Ups and Downs in 2009
It’s been both the best of times and worst of times for Gran Turismo fans in 2009. It started out in what many believed would be the year of Gran Turismo 5, but actually turned out to be the year of another title almost nobody was expecting: Gran Turismo PSP! Regardless, we’ve learned a lot about GT5 – from WRC, to NASCAR, to our first look at damage and rumors of a track editor, it’s been a pretty good year. Now, as we look forward to GT5‘s Japanese release in March, here’s a look back at 2009, along with all the links in case you missed something along the way…
January
GT5 Prologue was shown running in full “3D” at the Consumer Electronics Show, used to show off a prototype of Sony’s 3D display technology. I saw it myself and it was extremely impressive.- Winner of the first GT Academy, Lucas Ordonez, successfully competes in the 24 Hours of Dubai.
February
- We get a close-up look at Circuit de La Sarthe, via game-play footage of the track running in GT5 Prologue.
March
- Polyphony Digital’s Citroen GT super car gets set for production.
April
- Word hits the web that Gran Turismo 5 will be playable only in “B-Spec Mode”. (Just kidding!)
- The Internet heats up after our long-respected insider, Amar212, reveals many exciting tidbits about the future of the Gran Turismo series. Discussing everything from the then un-announced Gran Turismo PSP to a mysterious track-editor in GT5, Amar’s words are still referenced today as we try to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together…
May
- Kazunori Yamauchi casually mentions night racing and “weather changes” for Gran Turismo 5 in an interview published by Audi.
A leaked video from the PlayStation Qore magazine confirms that Gran Turismo PSP will be released alongside the new PSP Go hardware.
June
- Gran Turismo PSP is officially announced and dated, and its first video trailer is released.
- Gran Turismo 5 is officially announced during Sony’s press conference at E3 2009, and we finally get our first look at the game in a new trailer. In addition to the updated visuals, the video also confirmed the WRC and NASCAR licenses, along with our very first look at the game’s new damage rendering.
- In three different interviews (here, here, and here), Kazunori Yamauchi reiterates that Polyphony Digital can “release [Gran Turismo 5] whenever we want”, leading many to suspect a 2009 release date.
July
GTPlanet expands to Facebook and Twitter, which have become two very popular extensions of the site with several thousand followers and fans. (Thanks again, guys!)- Yamauchi emphasizes that the GT5 trailer shown off at E3 in June showed a “very small portion” of the game.
August
- GTPlanet acquires internal company documents which clearly outline a December 2009 release date for Gran Turismo 5.
- The infamous automotive brands of Lamborghini and Bugatti finally come to the Gran Turismo series.
- GT5 Prologue sells 4 million copies.
- The very first game-play footage of Gran Turismo 5 hits the web via a demo shown off at GamesCom.
- Yamauchi states that Gran Turismo 5 will be released “shortly after” Gran Turismo PSP.
- A brochure distributed by Sony at GamesCom shows the game is scheduled for release in the “fourth quarter” of 2009.
September
- Early reviews of Gran Turismo PSP are lukewarm, with most commentators disappointed with the open structure of the game and a lack of “career mode”.
- A surprise Gran Turismo 5 trailer is discovered in GT PSP.
- A breathtaking video showcasing the Ferrari 458 Italia in Gran Turismo 5 is released, providing a glimpse of new landscapes in the game.
- During a press conference at the Tokyo Game Show, Kazunori Yamauchi announces a March 2010 release date for GT5 in Japan, providing quite an unexpected shock for many fans.
October
- 5 years after it was first announced, Gran Turismo PSP is released worldwide.
- A secret and still-unpublished GT5 video is shown to a select group of journalists, showing off what was described as very impressive and improved damage model.
A new GT5 video showing the Toyota FT-86 Concept is released, giving a peek at what appears to be yet another new mountainous road in the game.- Yamauchi comments that they’re working on a “brand new” damage model for GT5 – a curious remark after some people criticized the game-play damage modeling shown off at GamesCom earlier in the year.
- In a clip that’s supposed to be showing off the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, we catch a glimpse of GT5‘s box art on what appears to be a boxed-set large enough to contain three separate discs. Speculation abounds…
- Yamauchi casts doubt on night racing and weather will eventually make it into GT5.
November
- The month starts out with a bang, as a Sony marketing manager casually mentions that “you can create tracks” in Gran Turismo 5, confirming what our own insider had told us about months earlier.
- Kazunori Yamauchi hints at what may be a “rewind” feature in GT5.
- Yamauchi comments that Gran Turismo 5‘s “weather system” is “done”, but emphasizes that he’s still not sure if it will make it into the final game or not, citing issues of “quality”.
December
- The Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial Challenge and the second GT Academy are officially announced, to be played out in a new demo showcasing GT5‘s new physics engine at the new Indianpolis Motor Speedway circuit.
- An SCEA producer for the Gran Turismo franchise mentions a “Summer 2010″ North American release date for GT5.
- On Christmas day, new GT5 city tracks located in Rome and Madrid are revealed in a new video.
It’s been a pleasure (most of the time…) keeping up with GT and Kazunori Yamauchi over the past year. I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride, and I hope you’ll continue to count on GTPlanet as we get ever closer to GT5 and beyond. See you in 2010!
You should follow GTPlanet on Facebook, and on Twitter @GTPlanetNews. You can also get GTPlanet's news by full-text RSS feed, or delivered via email, straight to your inbox every day.
Newest comments are displayed first.
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January 3rd, 2010 at 6:58 am - #z06
What a debbie downer…I have enjoyed waiting and looking at the information provided, why don’t you just be thankful that some people are going out of their way to bring all of us great stuff. Happy new year!
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January 2nd, 2010 at 11:06 am - #RAugie
2010 will be great, with gt coming out and me graduating same year :)
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January 2nd, 2010 at 9:24 am - #Lance
GT5 2011 !!!
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January 1st, 2010 at 2:19 pm - #Keyv
Go polyphony GO
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January 1st, 2010 at 1:56 pm - #JAGUAR1977
One of the downs is most certainly the fluff news pieces on GTP like the above.
The other down is PD wasting their time on GT Mobile for the dead on arrival PSP GO!
All in all a pretty awful year for PD and GT5 fans.
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January 1st, 2010 at 12:59 pm - #slaphappygunner
happy new year!!! GT5 on 3/30/2010 yay!!!! atleast that’s when target says it’s coming out. fingers crossed…
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January 1st, 2010 at 7:00 am - #tameem
i wonder why we are not hearing any news about gt5, its only 3 months to go
we were getting info about GTPSP months before it came out and it wasnt even as big as GT5happy new year to everyone 2010 IS THE YEAR OF GT5 no doubt.
thanks GTPLANET for everything -
December 31st, 2009 at 10:03 pm - #Rabiaa
March is just around the corner, guys!
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December 31st, 2009 at 9:47 pm - #Npanch
woop first post in 2010 (for this topic!!)
but let the countdown begin!! 3 months and counting…. -
December 31st, 2009 at 9:18 pm - #Azzer09
This is a great site, keep up the wonderful work. Let’s hope this is defenitly the year for gt5! Hope it comes out in march in Europe too!!!
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December 31st, 2009 at 6:30 pm - #jamaicangamer
dammn straight @ turbo3800.
2010=i get my permit finally!! :D
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December 31st, 2009 at 4:47 pm - #Razer
Been a fun year. Thanks to the expansion to Twitter I found this place.
I’ll take a March/Summer 2010 release. Gives me more time to get used to my Driving Force GT (and GT5′s physics!)
Happy New Year to all. Onwards to GT5! -
December 31st, 2009 at 4:42 pm - #Turbo_3800
Seems like all the good things that came about this year far as the game’s development has been crushed by the release date IMO! Like we’re all at a Sony strip club and GT5 is being shown in videos & pics and we were told a 09′ release but club owner Kaz said GT5 has cold feet, it’ll be ready 2010 while we’re steady getting teased by info (I’m crazy I know) Lol but here’s a toast to 09′ and the development so far, cheers to 2010 when we all slap on our 1st $5600 stage 1 turbo kits lol
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December 31st, 2009 at 3:58 pm - #Marry_Me_GT
Happy New Year To Every Single GTPlanet User!
and.. 3 Months!
Long Live Kaz! -
December 31st, 2009 at 1:28 pm - #deep_sky
Really great recap. It’s amazing how much new there was when you actually think about it.
Merry Xmas and happy New Year to all.
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December 31st, 2009 at 1:27 pm - #Niko
Happy New Year everyone!2010…..GT5 coming!
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December 31st, 2009 at 1:15 pm - #ralph89
Happy new year all GTP members! Year of GT fans? Maybe so, maybe not.
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December 31st, 2009 at 12:28 pm - #tomivav
good year, yes.
the most important thing is that i own ps3 now. (since tuesday)
GTPlanet on Google+
Slightly off topic I know lol, but why in the the top screenie above is there a C4 WRC racing against two Super GT motors? lol
Now no one have a go at me being negative about GT5, but that is something I havnt liked about the GT series. Having one type of race car against another type which would never happen in the real world.
Hopefully this will change now GT has some offical series’ in the game now.
I’d love to see some offical DTM in GT5 too!