What will it be of GT once Kaz retires or well...

  • Thread starter Fat Tyre
  • 240 comments
  • 16,127 views

Would you continue to buy GT games if Kaz would not be in charge?

  • Yes

    Votes: 123 56.7%

  • No

    Votes: 15 6.9%

  • Depends (expand on comments)

    Votes: 79 36.4%
  • Total voters
    217
I understand and the same goes for me but on the other hand GT has sold millions of copies and even if sales are declining and competition is a lot stronger now, the franchise must be worth billions (maybe?) so I doubt Sony would just stop and not try to release more GT games without him.
 
Fat Tyre
I understand and the same goes for me but on the other hand GT has sold millions of copies and even if sales are declining and competition is a lot stronger now, the franchise must be worth billions (maybe?) so I doubt Sony would just stop and not try to release more GT games without him.
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How old is Kaz ?.
 
He is 47 and life expectancy for males in Japan is around 82. So that means we should still have 35 more years of Kaz. Then again he is a race car driver so he is exposed to a lot more risk although safety standards are great nowadays.
 
Fat Tyre
He is 47 and life expectancy for males in Japan is around 82. So that means we should still have 35 more years of Kaz. Then again he is a race car driver so he is exposed to a lot more risk although safety standards are great nowadays.
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47? I would have guessed late 50's.

I never bought the game in the first place because of it's association with Kaz, heck I didn't even know there was a Kaz until I stumbled on GTPlanet 4 years ago, so if he stays or goes it makes no difference to me. I'd buy the game based on the quality of the game, not because someone's name is attached to it.
 
Fat Tyre
He is 47 and life expectancy for males in Japan is around 82. So that means we should still have 35 more years of Kaz. Then again he is a race car driver so he is exposed to a lot more risk although safety standards are great nowadays.
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Yes but he's also a smoker - which reduces life expectancy.

It's hard not to be biased, as his vision and ideas led to what was a very important gaming milestone, and paved the way for car culture into the hearts of many individuals who'd probably otherwise not even like racing or cars that much. I'm not sure GT would be the same for me if Kaz wasn't in charge of it. As much as I dislike many of his design decisions, I still admittedly admire him for his accomplishments.
 
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JKgo
....Actually, I think future GT games should be developed by someone other than PDI led by Kaz....:sly:

How 'bout the lead designer from Forza? :embarrassed:
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Shouldn't you just buy Forza instead of Gran Turismo then?

As regards Kaz's retirement, I feel like he's already cemented his legacy in the form of boundary-pushing graphical realism and a focus on Japanese cars, and I feel like they'll both remain features of the GT franchise well after he departs. Beyond those two aspects however, I don't feel that the previous games have had any Kazunori Yamauchi trademark features or quirks, so his leaving certainly wouldn't affect my purchasing future GT games. It's not like Metal Gear Solid where the games are entirely Hideo Kojima's brainchild and his unique style is expressed throughout the game. As long as the good graphics and Japan-centric feel, along with some of the original GT tracks, are retained, it'll be GT.
 
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JKgo
....Well, at least it qualified, right. :D
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I thought it was pretty funny myself. Someone threw up a link to this announcement on another site and this was one of the comments...so you're not alone with your sense of humour:lol:

upload_2015-5-4_8-41-2.png
 
SCER
To me both examples are more anti-PD digs than actual complete jokes, but it could just be a case of the notorious British sense of humour.
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Looks like someone had their funny bone amputated. You seem to get offended by any jokes about Kaz/PD.
 
Johnnypenso
Looks like someone had their funny bone amputated. You seem to get offended by any jokes about Kaz/PD.
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Sorry about not finding a joke funny Johnny :lol:

I'm sure I'm repeating myself but.. it could just be a case of the notorious British sense of humour, and not finding a joke funny isn't necessarily the same as being offended by it.
 
SCER
Sorry about not finding a joke funny Johnny :lol:

I'm sure I'm repeating myself but.. it could just be a case of the notorious British sense of humour, and not finding a joke funny isn't necessarily the same as being offended by it.
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Quite ironic if you think about it actually.
Btw the question made me think about a scenario:
Kazunori Yamauchi decides to leave PD and his projects because he just got tired of everything, from Sony, to the very fans that brought Gran Turismo to one of the most well known game franchises in the world, that to the present day are only complaining over the lack of certain modes or else.
Now given said scenario PD releases a GT7, the first without Kaz of course.
Honestly i cannot but be curious on what would be the first Gran Turismo without its historic creator and ideator, just to see what would change and what not, but from here to say " i'll still follow GT no matter what" seems too much far-fetched. I'd buy it still, of course, but just to see if it is still attractive from my standpoint.

too much speculation will kill us imho, but it's indeed a good rhetorical exercise.
 
There are two things that make Polyphony Digital different from the usual game developer.
  • Kazunori Yamauchi has a passion for motorsports and cars in general that a number of gaming journalists have remarked on, not to mention racing skill and acumen. Many attribute the flavor of the Gran Turismo series to the head of the team.
  • Polyphony Digital is apparently as much like an extended family of sorts as a game company. There are close teams like Insomniac, but PD seems to be unique in this regard.
If The Kaz left Polyphony, the game series is still in capable hands, but I could see that an essence found in previous games might begin to thin out, and Gran Turismo become another "same but different" series.

By the way, that was a pez poor "joke." I'm sure that Forza fanz would be delighted at the poke that Forza would benefit greatly if it just had someone with actual car passion like Kaz at the helm. ;) Heck, you can't even mention the unsavory nature of Microsoft without some Forza folk throwing a tantrum about it.
 
Tenacious D
There are two things that make Polyphony Digital different from the usual game developer.
  • Kazunori Yamauchi has a passion for motorsports and cars in general that a number of gaming journalists have remarked on, not to mention racing skill and acumen. Many attribute the flavor of the Gran Turismo series to the head of the team.
  • Polyphony Digital is apparently as much like an extended family of sorts as a game company. There are close teams like Insomniac, but PD seems to be unique in this regard.
If The Kaz left Polyphony, the game series is still in capable hands, but I could see that an essence found in previous games might begin to thin out, and Gran Turismo become another "same but different" series.

By the way, that was a pez poor "joke." I'm sure that Forza fanz would be delighted at the poke that Forza would benefit greatly if it just had someone with actual car passion like Kaz at the helm. ;) Heck, you can't even mention the unsavory nature of Microsoft without some Forza folk throwing a tantrum about it.
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That "essence" died out in GT5, at the time I don't think it'll make a difference if Kaz leaves.
 
Depends on who succeeds Kaz. If it's someone who knows the concept of efficient development and is willing to make GT great again, then I'll continue to buy. Otherwise if Kaz is still at the helm within the next 20-30 years, I'm out.
 
I tend to blame Kaz for all the things I don't like about the most recent GT games, so I honestly wouldn't mind if someone was going to replace him. GT6 isn't bad, it just balances somewhere in between mediocre and impressive. The assets will hopefully still be there to be embraced by someone who understands to capitalize on GT's unfulfilled potential. Still, long live Kaz. :)
 
Tenacious D
There are two things that make Polyphony Digital different from the usual game developer.
  • Kazunori Yamauchi has a passion for motorsports and cars in general that a number of gaming journalists have remarked on, not to mention racing skill and acumen. Many attribute the flavor of the Gran Turismo series to the head of the team.
  • Polyphony Digital is apparently as much like an extended family of sorts as a game company. There are close teams like Insomniac, but PD seems to be unique in this regard.
If The Kaz left Polyphony, the game series is still in capable hands, but I could see that an essence found in previous games might begin to thin out, and Gran Turismo become another "same but different" series.

By the way, that was a pez poor "joke." I'm sure that Forza fanz would be delighted at the poke that Forza would benefit greatly if it just had someone with actual car passion like Kaz at the helm. ;) Heck, you can't even mention the unsavory nature of Microsoft without some Forza folk throwing a tantrum about it.
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Comparing the Forza 5 vs. GT6 DLC, it's pretty clear that somewhere along the way Kaz's passion for motorsport isn't being translated to the game very well. Hopefully that will change for GT7. If not, I'd rather have the guy with less passion thank you very much.
 
Well Johnny, the world so far hasn't sided with you. GT5 has sold 11 million copies, and Forza 4 ran about 4.5 mil. But then, someone has to root for second place. ;)

I will have to say that even though I haven't play F4 at all since the repair of my 360 Leet last year, I have no motivation to get The ONE! and Forza 5. I guess we'll see one of these Forzas, when they finally get around to having ton-o-cars and tracks again. And assuming they still have a virtual advantage somewhere.
 
Tenacious D
Well Johnny, the world so far hasn't sided with you. GT5 has sold 11 million copies, and Forza 4 ran about 4.5 mil. But then, someone has to root for second place. ;)

I will have to say that even though I haven't play F4 at all since the repair of my 360 Leet last year, I have no motivation to get The ONE! and Forza 5. I guess we'll see one of these Forzas, when they finally get around to having ton-o-cars and tracks again. And assuming they still have a virtual advantage somewhere.
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Since when do sales of a 5 year old game have anything to do with DLC from the last 18 months? Keep moving those goalposts and eventually you'll score buddy:cheers:
 
Well. Your dream is that Kaz continues forever, my dream is I take over. Anyway. I said what I would do in another thread so I will just leave it there.
 

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