If PD had office overseas, could it help?

  • Thread starter Thread starter GTPM118
  • 46 comments
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If PD had an overseas division, could help?

  • Yes, that will be epic!

    Votes: 28 45.9%

  • Where do I join? ( PD choose me! )

    Votes: 8 13.1%

  • Maybe

    Votes: 16 26.2%

  • No, don't care a thing

    Votes: 9 14.8%
  • Total voters
    61
gtone339
That I want to see their company expanded overseas. đź‘Ť

Polyphony Digital Europe
Polyphony Digital America
Polyphony Digital Australia
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Thanks for remembering us down under ;)

As for the question, i think all the main work eg online, A-spec and so on should be done in the Japanese studio but it would be nice for the other main continents to have studios, to gather ideas, suggest some cars from their region, and do the smaller jobs.
 
Yes, it would help with development considering more people would be able to work on something at the same time. It would also globalize the type of cars and tracks we get. But PD in Japan should also stay as the big boss.
 
It wouldn't make any difference. Even if an office is opened in let's say Europe, everything they do has to be approved by PD-headquarters. The philosophy of GT will not change.

Why are there so many threads with basically the same question: Why is GT5 as it is?

It is totally irrelevant what we think would change GT in the game we all want it to be.
 
Toronado
Customer relations, if nothing else.
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But you're (we're) customers of SCE, not PD.

PD is a developer, they are not a publisher. SCE is a publisher. And SCE have a regional producers for GT series in every territory, for Europe even in many countries. Other thing is how they do their job, or what they're focusing on. But than again, it is SCE thing again, not PD.

Besides, language and cultural barriers would be a hefty obstacle. Many of people *may* think how the whole world *should* or *do* speak English, but that is not the case. Same goes for Japanese working ethic or way of dealing with things. And few more things.

And yes, despite all above, I personally think how some small branches of people, trained to do data-gathering under "PD standards" worldwide would help to produce content, but than again we can't have even a distant idea about PD's current internal organisation nor what they do at the moment.
 
There is a better chance of a China or India office than the ones mentioned ...no offense. Maybe you first world guys have no idea but do you know how expensive your labour is? Sorry ..but I do not want to pay twice as much for the game. Open up PD India please and increase content while keeping costs in check. Again, no offense ...but this is the economic truth.
 
Isn't this just a logistic change instead of a cultural shift?
I mean the combination of internet and airplanes already means they're not isolated from gathering information and data.
Most big car manufacturers have design studios all over the world, to get a lot of different cultural influences integrated into one common design language.
This has a creative reason, but the core business of PD (apart from fantasy tracks/cars) isn't necessarily creating but replicating or simulating.
So it perhaps only makes sense to have permanent subsidiaries in Europe and the US if it means quicker and cheaper access to car/track data than having teams from Japan fly all over the world.
Maybe I'm missing something here though but I doubt having permanent bases around the world has any serious effect on GT-games.
 
analog
Isn't this just a logistic change instead of a cultural shift?
I mean the combination of internet and airplanes already means they're not isolated from gathering information and data.
Most big car manufacturers have design studios all over the world, to get a lot of different cultural influences integrated into one common design language.
This has a creative reason, but the core business of PD (apart from fantasy tracks/cars) isn't necessarily creating but replicating or simulating.
So it perhaps only makes sense to have permanent subsidiaries in Europe and the US if it means quicker and cheaper access to car/track data than having teams from Japan fly all over the world.
Maybe I'm missing something here though but I doubt having permanent bases around the world has any serious effect on GT-games.
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There will always be costs involved ...and someone that must carry those costs. It comes down to one of two options:

1. Sony/PD absorbs the costs and understands the long-term benefits (if any) or
2. Sony/PD passes the costs down to the consumer.

Now it would be great if Sony absorbed the costs but I would love to be a fly on the wall when they explain it to their ever-demanding shareholders especially when you consider the volatile economic circumstances affecting the world economy right now.

And by the way, Software companies already have developers working in either India or China. Why do you think MSFT does not have a development house in either Europe or Australia that works on the fundamental stuff like they do in India? One answer: Costs and the cheap availability of highly qualified individual resources.

Honestly, I would love to have more of the Western influence in the game but the reality is that the chances are slim ...unless there are drastic shifts in how the global economic system works. Oh, and I say "Western influence" cause lets face it, the West is what you guys are concerned about ...none of you cares about Tata or Mahindra :).
 
JohnyPiston
Again, no offense ...but this is the economic truth.
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If it only were that simple. There's about a thousands things to worry, labour costs being one of them. And if you look deeper into the matter you'll find at the end of the day it's the smallest problem because labour has become a commodity.

I'm quite happy with the Eastern approach of things and I do pity the fact I don't speak any of their languages. But I try to close the cultural gap where ever and when ever I can.

Video games is one thing, literature and movies another. Oh, and the cooking of course.

Only because much of western entertainment is streamlined towards a certain "Hollywood" style doesn't mean there isn't room for something else.

PD has done just fine over the past 10 years for a reason. That doesn't change because all of a sudden there is the Internet where one (a very vocal minority) can complain all day long. This is universally so and not limited to GT.

On another note the Germans seem to be the biggest single market for GT. And as we have invented the car, and buy the most copies of GT, there's a feeling that tells me PD is making the right choices. Really, I'm quite serious ;)
 
PD is fine in Japan alone :)
 
I don't think having overseas offices would make that big a difference in the lineup of current cars in future GT titles, especially if the manufacturers are increasingly providing CAD data directly to PD. However... having PD sanctioned teams on multiple continents would make a huge difference when it comes to classic car models, in my opinion.


For example, if there were a North American office...


It could be staffed with people who are much more familiar with the North American car culture, ensuring a potential car list that makes more sense to the racing enthusiast (it's a tough task to swing a dead cat at an American race track without hitting a Fox body Mustang, yet it's as yet a no-show in Gran Turismo).


Once a car model is chosen, more time could be spent finding an example that's factory correct. The Cobra and Mach 1 in GT5 were both modeled with modern radial tires; Both of the '69 Camaros have incorrect trim; The Challenger that was modeled was most likely a 440 powered car based on the incorrect redline and the missing hood script on the passenger side scoop. This might seem rather nit-picky, but this game is introducing a lot of people to a lot of cars, so authenticity should be a very high priority in my mind.


There is also the issue of race tracks, but I don't feel like further embiggening this post. :p
 
Not sure an overseas office would work.
Kaz mostly tweets in Japanese. How would they know what to do?
 
How does any multi-national company function?

Interpreters.
 
In one way, yes it gives a broader aspect on the way different cultures perceive cars, how they drive them, what do they like, what to they envision for the future etc.

Another aspect is how the gaming industry is different in other regions of the World. Some gaming communities may find something brilliant, whereas another community may find something tedious. Positive aspects of establishing a world wide feedback is that you can gather qualitative data back and hybridize what the customer wants on a whole.

But there are a few issues involved, One. You may lose some of the uniqueness of the product because it will evidently lose some of its character. Another aspect is cost. More staff, more PR, more skilled employees, more acclimatization to different ways of handling business. It could be messy. Also you run the risk of disenfranchising the core supporters of your product if the result does not feel like it has heritage in its previous editions. By the most part Polyphony digital runs on a skeleton staff compared to other gaming companies! Would Sony who are in trouble themselves authorize a risky cash injected market strategy to a company that seems to run fine as it is?

I'm sure its not the case but I have often wondered does Polyphony run like Lucas films. Does Kaz take creative control and others around him are afraid to question the decisions the man makes? timeliness set, the content, the input of data etc? Whether GT6 is on the PS3 or not Sony are going to be keeping a closer eye on proceedings at the moment. The last thing Sony needs for their rep right now is another unfinished product!
 
whoozitz
How does any multi-national company function?

Interpreters.
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In the normal world yes. How does a multi-national company communicate with its fan base.
Interpreters.

How does PD do it. Twitter, runes and tea leaves.
 
McClarenDesign
I know I'm in the minority, but I don't think PD needs help, aside from the hiring they're already doing.
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As above. Grand Turismo would be what it is.
 
It wouldn't change much, but I believe they'd have access to more cars, and ways to actually improve the engine sounds.
 
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