Could this be a PR stunt?

[jjaisli]

Agreed,

But this could all have been very easily avoided in one simple step.

Instead of announcing release dates, this , that and the other before you have a finsihed product.

Finish the product first, then create merry hell over its release, and hit your suggested targets, that way nobody is left in this mess.

I appreciate even when the game is gold, thing's can still happen to scupper it's release, but this isntance it would have avoided all this.

Well, come on now. We both know that things don't work this way in the real world. If the publisher would simply leave it up the developer to create the game, open ended, on the understanding that, "When you're done, just let us know and we'll get working on the ad campaign" that you'd have games spending years in development and publishers and PR departments scrambling at the last minute to put a campaign together. These things take a lot of time. Not to mention that the publisher would probably run out of money first. They have to go hand in hand.

PD has been in a rather unique situation in that they have a very special relationship with Sony. GT 1~4 have been flagship games for the Playstation. And Kazunori sits on Sony's board, so they have a lot of leeway which other developers don't.

That said, I'm sure if the Entertainment division had a crystal ball back in 2008 and could have foreseen that GT5 was only finally being released for the 2010 holiday season, they would have lit a fire under PD a long time ago. And while we'll never hear these things publicly, especially from a Japanese company, I'm guessing a lot of people at Sony were furious at Kazunori for missing the production deadline.

I don´t believe the copies were stolen....I think they bought it from the plan, having friends there. (czech guys and the australian DJ).

I bet the guy from the plant just sold those copies and it takes a long time to figure out that they have 455.574 copies instead of 455.575.

In other words...they were stolen. Look, I don't know what happened and I don't want to accuse the guys who actually put up the video of doing anything wrong themselves. At least one of them said he bought it from an auction. But I agree, at some point along the line, they were nabbed.

 

[Khaddar]

I have seen school children produce better planning than this.

If I were head of Sony marketing, I would be very seriously worried for my job at this moment in time.

Whoever is in charge of gettng this game in shop's, on time should no doubt be given his P45, and replaced with someone that understands the importance of the game and is able to foward plan.

If you understood my post, then you would see thats my point entirely.

If the game were finished before any announcements were made.

As you have stated above, the only "mess up " was the fact the game wasnt finished.

So in fact your kind of agreeing with me.

I did read and understand your posts.

What does it matter which section of Sony orderd the Posts to be removed.

GTP is an american based site, stands to reason SCEA would be the first to see or hear anything from it, and then take action.

I was under the impression GTP was effectively an Australian-run site. Australia is covered by SCEE, as is the Czech Republic where the videos from the stolen copy originated. And this being the internet, all parts of Sony are able to see it at the same time!

There's nothing irrational about SCEA requesting videos be removed, but then there's usually nothing rational about conspiracy theorists

 

[BORDER323]

I'm not saying the production deadline is open ended that's just sillyness.

But surely after 3 years, Sony ask KY .. how's it coming on matey... lol

He replie's, yeah good we have all this stuff working.

Sony reply..

Ok let's get these things finalised and call it a day there, anything else will have to wait till GT6, So we can get this thing out and start on the release campaign.

 

[YourCarInHD]

No matter what it is, clearly Sony isn't happy with the vids being released, and wants them to be taken down. Hah!

I say everyone just keep saving the vids and putting them up again on different accounts.

 

[GatorAdam]

I am not in the camp that thinks this began as a full-fledged PR stunt, but it may have conveniently morphed into one.

I do think Kaz & Co did legitimately miss the target production date. I do think they had planned a "normal" launch on November 9 (US). I would venture to guess they also had marketing materials all ready to go for that launch date. But then they missed it, so rather than re-working all those marketing materials, they decided to whip us into a virtual frenzy by "going silent" and plan to "sneak out" the game as the discs are pressed.

My only slight comparison to this involved ModNation Racers recently, when I picked up the game at my local Best Buy 1 full week before its official release date. Granted, that game had a bit more to gain by early buyers making the user-created content to be available for the "official launch". I don't see GT5's track creator to be nearly as big a selling point in that regard.

Anyway, just my thoughts. Secretly hoping I'll walk into Best Buy later today and see it on the shelf.

 

[jjaisli]

And to drag this thread back to its slightly ridiculous topic, I'll throw out one little tidbit for the conspiracy theorists - the requests to GTPlanet to remove videos have come from SCEA, not SCEI or SCEE.

It's an interesting point. But it could simply be the way the company is fractured, that certain divisions are responsible for any activity within their own region. And this could be among many reasons that it's been so difficult to get any real information out of Sony, because it has to pass through so many horizontal levels.

And no, GTP is not an Australian run site.

 

[Khaddar]

It's an interesting point. But it could simply be the way the company is fractured, that certain divisions are responsible for any activity within their own region. And this could be among many reasons that it's been so difficult to get any real information out of Sony, because it has to pass through so many horizontal levels.

And no, GTP is not an Australian run site.

I stand corrected.

It wasn't intended to be a serious point, but it did amuse me when I noticed it. Of course, it's a lot more amusing (or a lot less unfunny) if you're under the misapprehension that SCEE might be the relevant division.

 

[NBH]

If this was a PR stunt then surely the videos would be better quality and only show what PD want us to see?

I can't believe they would go to the trouble of modelling cars on high detail only for it to be advertised using a dodgy camera and put on you tube.

GT5 is an amazing game and there is so much that you could use to make good adverts that this can't be it.

 

[BORDER323]

If this was a PR stunt then surely the videos would be better quality and only show what PD want us to see?

I can't believe they would go to the trouble of modelling cars on high detail only for it to be advertised using a dodgy camera and put on you tube.

GT5 is an amazing game and there is so much that you could use to make good adverts that this can't be it.

There is always the " any advertising is good avertising " statement.

But video's of this monumental game released by a nobody from his bedroom.

Doesn't strike me as an advertising campaign Sony would undertake, its a little amature isn't it ?

I could be wrong, and this infact could be a new Sony marketing strategy.

 

[Tenacious D]

I totally agree, and as much as I'll enjoy GT5, my next racing game will be what ever Microsoft release on their next machine because this is the last home console from SONY that I'll be buying. I'm not so keen on Microsoft either as a corporation overall, but at least their entertainment division seem to nail their marketing efforts and update games regularly.

You'll support a monopoly because they have people out in the world talking trash about other game companies on message boards and hyping their own product? Oh brother...

Well, as far as I'm concerned, M$ can go to Hell. For a company so wealthy, they can't seem to make anything that isn't in a beta stage. Even Win7 is bugging me with stupid quirks. If that wasn't bad enough, they updated my debit card information WITHOUT my permission and charged me for a year of their stupid overpriced Live service! You can say that "at least they communicate with their customers," but it's clear to me that all they care about is squeezing those customers for every nickel they can.

The irrationality in this place is appalling. But then, this is the human race...

I'm guessing a lot of people at Sony were furious at Kazunori for missing the production deadline.

Well, except that SONY halted the release of GT5 to make it compatible with a new, more robust and secure PS3 OS, no doubt to defeat hacks and ripped games.

As to the subject, something is definitely going on here.

Someone said that SONY would have had better quality videos if they were handling this. No! That would have been an obvious tip that SONY was orchestrating this. Poor quality means these videos are authentic, done by folk without pro equipment. And is still good enough to reveal lots of goodies. I'm watching these vids over and over.

Notice how the details of the vids are scrupulously avoiding certain things which YouTubers are clamoring for, like full track listings, full car lists, a weather or night race, an example of Race Modding, etc.

The traffic here is approaching E3 levels. We know the game is close to release. The games are being shipped. People across the net here and there already have retail copies. Some retailers are dropping news that the game will be for sale shortly.

None of this is costing SONY a dime, except to monitor video sites and keep a lid on the uploaders to make sure key features don't get leaked just yet. And that's payroll which would get paid anyway.

I'm thinking SONY is either behind this or taking advantage of the inevitable and managing it. The result is the same, either way, a hoard of perhaps millions of fans who are clutching their wallets and waiting for the start signal.

 

[wills2084]

Definitely not a PR stunt. As I said in another thread, if Sony was leaking the videos they wouldn't flip us off in the very first one they posted. Simple as that.

 

[hejje]

Don't you think it's strange Sony and PD haven't released any official gameplay trailers etc? This is what publishers normally do to build up the hype for a game. All we get is some old official trailers. At this time so close to release (hopefully) surely they should have released more info about the game and provided videos. Are they just gonna say "Hey guyz we are releasing the game tomorrow lulz!" Smells fishy fo sho

 

[Vince_Fiero]

Bad publicity is better than no publicity.

Create a buzz and keep it going.

Announcing a date would probably put everyone again in a calm state till that date, does not seem to help their publicity. So why would they do it?
They surely do not want to announce a date and retract that again, so I do believe they are prudent on that one as well.

If Sony is behind the videos on youtube, they surely will have made certain we can not find it out. This indeed means give it to some people and do not control what they do, react as if you do not like it, but do not exaggerate.

It is common practice in the Music industry to leak songs before the official release to create a buzz, also in poor video quality. Guess who is the second-largest global recorded music company in the world?

===========================================

if Sony was leaking the videos they wouldn't flip us off in the very first one they posted. Simple as that.

They need to deny, otherwise it would not stand as a leak. They will always deny, who would take them to court for this anyway?

 

[shigllgetcha]

no, gt5 doesnt need the publicity

 

[novcze]

This whole thing isn't PR stunt, few copies of the game have been stolen from shipment and then they had sold them on Czech auction site. Guys who are making videos from GT5 just bought GT5 on auction site. Simple as that.

 

[JackC8]

No. Sony would never post almost the entire game on Youtube as any sort of advertising. I don't think they'd have a guy flipping off the viewer at the start of that one video either.

 

[benwaballs]

No way is this a stunt the only thing sony wants is our money! i would guess they want this on the market more than us...

 

[jjaisli]

.

Well, except that SONY halted the release of GT5 to make it compatible with a new, more robust and secure PS3 OS, no doubt to defeat hacks and ripped games.

That is purely an assumption on your part. It was rumored that the 3.50 firmware may have delayed GT5. But both Kazunori and Sony have publicly confirmed that they were working on the game through to the end with talk of framerate issues being the culprit.

Sorry, but we have to get to this. Nov. 2 was the last release date for Gran Turismo 5. What's the reason for the latest delay?

It was really to adjust it so it would be perfect. The first game that I made was Motor Toon Grand Prix for the first PlayStation. The year and a half that it was in development, the last three months as the release date approached, myself and my staff were getting three hours of sleep a day to try and get the game done. Near the end, the people from Sony came to our development studio and told us it was good enough and that we could release it. At the time, I probably wasn't thinking very clearly, being as exhausted as I was, and I talked myself into thinking this was good enough and it went to release.

But all the things I thought were not enough yet, the users said the exact same thing when the game came out. That was something I regretted very much when that happened because I knew it was coming. And that happened at the beginning of my career, and it was something I vowed would never happen again.​

Say what you will, but I believe this is more to the point. They simply missed the deadline.
​

As to the subject, something is definitely going on here.

Someone said that SONY would have had better quality videos if they were handling this. No! That would have been an obvious tip that SONY was orchestrating this. Poor quality means these videos are authentic, done by folk without pro equipment. And is still good enough to reveal lots of goodies. I'm watching these vids over and over.

I'm thinking SONY is either behind this or taking advantage of the inevitable and managing it.

---

The irrationality in this place is appalling. But then, this is the human race...

There's a certain irony here. I could point to a black pot and kettle or black helicopters and they would both be on the mark.

There is NO way Sony is actually behind these videos. They're not some small start up company with some 22 year old fresh out of uni grad in charge of marketing. Their legal advisers alone would have a field day with it.

 

[BoneSawTX]

I don't think its a PR stunt but if you want to go for the "leaked from some dudes room" look then why would you want high professional quality video. Want it to look like it's home made youtube vidz then make it how most of those videos are.

 

[CoolColJ]

It certainly reeks of a Sony viral plan...

All the stuff leaked is not revealing too much. I mean if you do a rain race, why go to Eiger, we've already seen that. And 2 different leakers use the same Eiger track in the wet???!
Why not Suzuka etc

The leakers don't seem to answer too many questions for some reason.
Are they really GT fans?

No leaked damage vids? WTF! This is one thing everybody would head to first...

I agree, very very strange, no one tested and recorded damage ?!!!!!!!

honestly I am interested in 2 kind of videos : videos that show improvement in sound and videos that show improvements in damage model.

I dont care about videos spoiling the game for us (cars, tracks, license tests, championships...etc)

^ agree - a true GT fan would have done those 2 types of vids right from the start

 

[SuperShouden]

Anyone notice that there are certain accounts on Youtube that haven't been touched?

You5825 and JasherX still have GT5 videos that work...interesting.

 

[jjaisli]

Guys, come on now. I mean really, the lot of you MUST be putting me on. Just think about it. Can't you see how ridiculous this is? Imagine the pitch from whoever is behind it to the team leader.

"How about we create a home-brew style ad campaign in anticipation of the game, that will really hit home with our target audience. We'll make it look like a couple of guys have STOLEN some copies of our product before it's released and are releasing videos on YouTube! Even though we have some really high quality videos ready to go through official channels, which have been in development for months, I'm sure this will really send the message to our customers that we want to deliver!"

I'm telling you, it would NEVER fly. I really can't believe people are giving this idea any credence.

 

[Mr Turismo]

i dont think its a viral or a campaign of any sort...

the vids quality is questionable, so it is the behavior of the guy recording them... ( he showed a finger to us..not big deal, but is not the behavior i would expect from sony´s personnel ).

 

[SuperShouden]

Guys, come on now. I mean really, the lot of you MUST be putting me on. Just think about it. Can't you see how ridiculous this is? Imagine the pitch from whoever is behind it to the team leader.

"How about we create a home-brew style ad campaign in anticipation of the game, that will really hit home with our target audience. We'll make it look like a couple of guys have STOLEN some copies of our product before it's released and are releasing videos on YouTube! Even though we have some really high quality videos ready to go through official channels, which have been in development for months, I'm sure this will really send the message to our customers that we want to deliver!"

I'm telling you, it would NEVER fly. I really can't believe people are giving this idea any credence.

The guys who haven't never said they stole it. They admitted that they have it without telling where they got it from. But there are a few interesting points:

1. 3 dealership videos and all of them show us cars we already new were in except a couple of new Ferraris. Heck the last one passed over Maserati 3 times without clicking on it.

2. All the tracks shown we've known were in.

3. All the other videos show us things we've known were in, but simply clear things up and provide a few more details.

4. No new information has been revealed. No Special events, no damage test, only a couple new cars.

Heck, you'd think that someone would video tape it as they went through each car dealer and checked out the cars, but no one has yet.

It is also interesting that the videos occurred a couple days after it was announced that half a million copies were shipped to France.

A viral marketing scheme would be perfect to hold everyone over until the release date is announced. Think of it as Sony and PD saying "Sorry the game isn't out yet, we screwed up and we know there's no release date yet, here are some cool videos. Please be patient with us."

 

[Tenacious D]

To add to what SuperShouden and the other yaysayers are stating, someone above said that it's actually not a bad idea to keep the release date a secret until the games are just about to be unboxed at the stores. Having even a one day misstep could make some kids lose their marbles now. Frankly, I'm enjoying this drama as it plays out. If you're not, I think you need to go for a bike ride, see a movie or something.

And think about it... why are all these videos not revealing any deep awesome details? Something smells fishy, but heck, I'm fine with it either way. And I'm sure SONY is loving the attention, and all the hoards of potential buyers waiting for that hair trigger to send them racing to stores.

 

[Hurricane43]

hopefully we will get some info in 20 minutes at the BMO conference, sony is up net. The lady speaking on the BMO website worked on GT.

Here's to hoping and that the full PR will begin.

Listen here
http://audability.com/AudabilityAdmin/Clients/BMO/10917_114201080000AM/primary.aspx?Event_ID=917&str=pub1&rm=BALLROOM II

 

[SuperShouden]

It is interesting that we haven't gotten any new vids today. I would think that the release date is coming VERY soon. And with all the stores announcing that they've got it in stock...release date should be within the next 18 days.

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

Okay, everyone, just take your tinfoil hats and put them on your head, and repeat this:

 

[jjaisli]

The guys who haven't never said they stole it. They admitted that they have it without telling where they got it from.

Yes, but my point is, A leads to B. The fact that SOMEBODY is playing the game, releasing grainy videos, before it's released IMPLIES they obtained it through illicit means. And Sony would NEVER associate themselves with this concept. No way.

1. 3 dealership videos and all of them show us cars we already new were in except a couple of new Ferraris. Heck the last one passed over Maserati 3 times without clicking on it.

Possibly. Or maybe, the more likely answer is, the guys taking video just don't care much about Maserati.

2. All the tracks shown we've known were in.

Well, some of them were assumed to be. Now there's proof. And some of them were seen for the first time.

4. No new information has been revealed. No Special events, no damage test, only a couple new cars.

Heck, you'd think that someone would video tape it as they went through each car dealer and checked out the cars, but no one has yet.

I would expect, that a long time GTPlanet member and GT fan, who got their hands on a copy of the disc, would do all of these things. A casual gamer might not.

It is also interesting that the videos occurred a couple days after it was announced that half a million copies were shipped to France.

On this, I just don't follow you. I'm not sure what one has to do with the other. And either way, the LAST thing Sony wants is information on their shipments leaking out to the public, for any number of reasons. If you're implying the 'leak' about shipments to France was part of the plan, well, I'm just not buying it.

A viral marketing scheme would be perfect to hold everyone over until the release date is announced. Think of it as Sony and PD saying "Sorry the game isn't out yet, we screwed up and we know there's no release date yet, here are some cool videos. Please be patient with us."

Of this (my edited version of your quote) I agree. It would be nice. For us fans. But as I said earlier, I suspect Sony worked for many months on a carefully timed release of details. And I guess, that's what they're more inclined to go with. You have to remember, for Sony, it's all about money. they're guys in suits. They're a big corporation, just like any other. And when it comes down to it, hard core fans are the ones watching these spy videos. We're not really their target market audience because they pretty much know we're going to buy the game anyway. Their target is casual gamers or car nuts who don't know about GT, or maybe had a PS2 and GT3 years ago and haven't really kept up, or gamers who just want the latest and greatest. That's who their ad campaigns will target.

 

[andrez004]

Saying things like that is going to scare the BE'JESUS out of some people... lol

grabs head with both hands and rocks back and forth in chair saying, " no no no it can't no I hope no this no no no please god please no no no"