Time to reassign Kaz or pull the plug?

What should Sony do with Polyphony?

  • Fire Kaz Yamauchi

    Votes: 10 6.1%
  • Pull the plug

    Votes: 8 4.9%
  • Put GT on hiatus

    Votes: 4 2.4%
  • Do a full refresh

    Votes: 21 12.8%
  • Keep it as it is, it's going to work out in the end

    Votes: 126 76.8%

  • Total voters
    164
Status
Not open for further replies.
Man, I'm loving this demo. So my immediate reaction to this thread's title: "Time to reassign Kaz or pull the plug?" I was thinking, is this a gag thread, until I realized it was serious :lol: I mean, really, man?

incredulous.gif
 
GT isn't going anywhere. It may have some less-than-appealing iterations, but it's not enough to kill the series or call it bad. Sorry your expectations haven't been met, cause I feel like I've been low-balled too. But I'm not surprised cause Sony screwed us wheel owners anyway.
 
Seriously, so this thread exists? Just because you don't like the game, it doesn't mean that it is bad. Many of the aspects you mentioned make me think that you don't know anything about developing games.

2D trees: they are also in other games including Forza Motorsport 7 and they look even worse there. In GT Sport they are not that obvious. And they are in the game because of the hardware. Do you realise how old is the PS4? Graphics are incredible, but they had to do that with a cost.

Cars and tracks list: yes, the list is not the best, but they said that they are going to release them after the game is released, including both free and paid DLCs.

Pit stops: it should be nice to have them like you said, but even without that, the pit stop animations are very good, and some games don't even have them.

So, in the end, to say things like Kaz should be fired, or reasigned to another position is way too harsh.

He made these games from the beginning of the series, so a game without Kaz wouldn't be a true Gran Turismo title. His passion for cars is admirable and he wants everyone to enjoy his games. For example, I like the museum part of the game. If you are a car lover, like me, it's a very nice way to find more about the brand's history, and even those news non car related are interesting.

I like the game so far, and in the end, if they keep their promise to deliver more cars and tracks, it will be perfect.
 
I find this thread pointless. If you had the same standards for all other heads of studio you'd have no one leading any project.

Let us see how the game does and then maybe we can argue about the topic.
 
The only true comparison to see if GT Sport does well is release it along side GT 7. Then we will see what the average joe wants out of GT. If he/she wants to be a fake "real life" racer or a Gamer.


:)

I am a real world Pilot and I enjoy flight simming too (Prepar3D). So I know there is interest in real world like simming all the way to becoming a real world racer. I get how finicky we are when flight simming deviates from real world into "gaming" territory. I get it.
 
Last edited:
They should promote Kaz to an a higher lvl manager and let the next generation develop next GT game.
 
So just because the game is not to your liking.. the creator should be fired or the game should stop to exist completely as "poll" options?

You sir.. are clueless.
 
A Gran Turismo without Kaz is like Metal Gear Solid without Kojima.

And what do we get when Kojima was axed? A zombie survival game.

There's a pachinko slot joke in there somewhere....

Also a few of the replies are just reading as "Waaahhh! Mommy he said a bad about my game!"
 
Time to reassign Kaz or pull the plug?

I say promote him instead to President and CEO of Polyphony's parent company Sony Interactive Entertainment
and give him a hundred million to continue to expand his vision with Gran Turismo.
Heck promote him to Chairman of Sony Corporation while you're at it.

Kaz has become an important figure in the worldwide automotive and motorsport industry.
Or to quote Ronda's mayor;
There is no doubt that his work has a huge cultural resonance with people today. He has driven the racing game genre to new levels of realism and his creations are as much art as technology.
This GT Sport demo is fairly close to being a work of art, and it's only a demo!
Imagine what the game will look like in six months to a year and what sort of content there'll be.
Long live Kaz.
 
Did you know that IGN itself said that GT Sport was sterile 1 year ago? Now they say that the game is a really great experience with the TGT.

Yes I saw that.
Can't risk losing advertising revenue, typical corporate bs.

This is why I only come here for reviews by GtPlanet members.
Those that have been around a few years are an honest bunch that isn't afraid to praise or call a spade a spade when needed.
 
The demo has been an overwhelming success for Sony and PD. The general consensus has moved from skepticism and outright disinterest, to enthusiasm and a firm belief in GT Sports direction. It's even been reflected on the sales charts with a clear boost into the top 10 in the UK and US.

Of course it isn't for everyone. But I see these slightly hyperbolic threads as a good sign. A bit of a cry for help to cut through the positivity*.


*Just a joke
 
The demo has been an overwhelming success for Sony and PD. The general consensus has moved from skepticism and outright disinterest, to enthusiasm and a firm belief in GT Sports direction. It's even been reflected on the sales charts with a clear boost into the top 10 in the UK and US.

Of course it isn't for everyone. But I see these slightly hyperbolic threads as a good sign. A bit of a cry for help to cut through the positivity*.


*Just a joke

Yes , there are always people wanting to bring something down , no matter how good it is. GT Sport is an amazing game , it might not be for everyone , and that's fine. Now bashing it for the sake of bashing it , isn't going to help anyone.
 
Hey guys, thanks for having, yay my first post, etc, etc,.

Apologies if this belongs in an existing thread but I actually don't know whether it does or not... and no, I am not trolling, trying to prove a point or trying to be an edge-lord.

I've been playing the demo of GT Sport, and while I have enjoyed the gameplay, )it's obviously not the best physics, it still manages to feel very good to play and feels very 'right'), there is an underlying murk that comes with what I've experienced so far of this game which suggests to me that it may be time for Sony to cut their losses and pull the plug coming from several things that I've noticed.

These several things suggest to me that two particular outcomes need to come about to 'save' Gran Turismo if you will (which I'll get to in the end), but first let's get to those several things:

  • No career mode in any shape or form: sorry, but online, missions, tests and tutorials are NOT sufficient for career or campaign modes in a racing game, you're simply glorifying the extras. That is a massive shame because the AI is actually good once you turn off boost in options and start to venture into normal difficulty and beyond. They really could have done something with it instead of shoving quirky nonsense that, let's be very honest, only the hardcore fans will get into. They have taken away the heart and soul of their own game and it boggles my mind how they could have ever come to this idiotic decision.

  • The especially stupid interpretation of rally: it can't seem to decide if it's a rally-cross or straight rally mode, and I don't think that Polyphony quite understand that you can't simply do an half-way house approach between the two. Also, can someone please point me towards real-life cases where a rally stage or rally-cross track that's 10 cars wide? You either have both separately or you have one, don't try mish-mashing the two together (the rally physics are still quite bad).

  • 2D trees on a PS4... I mean, really? Considering the rest of the game looks so good, forward facing sprites for trees? Are they being lazy or what? Do they not realise that casuals will notice stuff like this? Even the joke of the games industry: Assassin's Creed has better 3D modelled trees and their game is arguably a lot more complex. What is the point in making the part of the game that exists within the track walls look so good when you're going to make everything immediately next to it looks so terrible?

  • Pit-stops are cutscenes... I mean, seriously? You think we're not going to notice the cars un-spawning and re-spawning? The pit-stop times aren't even realistic either: you get to pit entry, the car magically warps to entering the box, nice pretty cut-scene all very well done (but where the hell are the other cars in the pits???) and you magically warp right to the end of the pitlane... other games managed to do this properly on PS3, there's very little excuse for this.

  • The menus are an un-ergonomic mess: I come from a design background, and those menus are a joke. You have to stop and think to figure them out, the best menus are the ones which don't require that, GT Sport's menus are a bigger muddle than the early versions of Audi's MMI system. Why can't Polyphony ever keep it simple and stop focusing on constant razzle-dazzle? (Also, Forza and Project CARS are no saints either when it comes to UI)

  • Group 1 is nonsense: sorry, but it is, you get nearly 2 year old LMP1 cars (because you're too lazy to get this year's cars unlike your rivals) and proceed to take a dump on them by having them as mid-pack cars against fantasy cars? I can really see the ACO and WEC being oh so happy about that, perhaps there's reason there's no Le Mans in this game; to save them the insult of seeing their top category being served up for dinner to fiction. What Polyphony have done with the LMP1 cars here is like Manchester United signing Lionel Messi and putting him in the hotdog stand.

  • The car and track list: even if it's going to be bloated by DLC (which I sincerely doubt it will ever happen), as a game that's going up against Forza 7 and Project CARS 2 (or Shift 4 as I call it), to launch with that shallow a list is a complete joke and a disgrace given Gran Turismo's fame for wealthy car and track lists, even if Forza 7 is bloating via last-gen cars.

  • And lastly, it's the whole emphasis of "online" masquerading as an eSport: I've worked in eSports, and trust me, GT Sport is not eSport worthy and nor is the current thought system at Polyphony capable of eSports. Online only saves I get, because to be honest everything is going towards cloud storage whether you like it or not. But, having all of the "campaign" and emphasis of the game on online or "Sport Mode" as their marketing team calls it is plain suicidal, people will not buy into it at all and everything on the internet in reaction echoes this sentiment. As I said before, the traditional GT Mode is the heart and soul of the Gran Turismo, and they've ripped that out. This is possibly the first Zombie-Gran Turismo.

Even before you factor in the other things I've listed, the online/sport emphasis + lack of campaign alone is enough to completely scupper any chance this game ever had of being a big-seller, it will just be another WipEout Omega = an old yeller franchise in dire need of a refresh simply being abused as a nostalgia shovelware cash-cow by Sony. Also, I'm fully aware that Sony and Polyphony are claiming they've taken what they had before and torn it down to start again, but let's be honest, it's a copout to cover up their inability to do things consistently and on time. They had a deadline to make a full blown Gran Turismo, they didn't do it, and they're covering it up.

Also, lets be brutally honest, even if the published version of the game is the best Gran Turismo ever conceived, the gaming press will still shoot it down with mediocre scores, quite simply because after GT5 and GT6 they are now fascinated and fixated with the idea of the downfall of Gran Turismo. They've been wowed and amazed by other racers, there is absolutely nothing other than pretty graphics Gran Turismo can possibly offer to get itself 9/10 or 90% scores, based on what I've seen it's an 8/10 or 80% at best.

All of this points towards one man possibly being too close to his baby to be able to step back and assess what's right and what's wrong, a man who clearly has absolutely no clue in handling PR, a man who's vision is now so warped and inconsistent that it's beginning to show in this game which, in my mind set to be a sales flop and there's two outcomes which need to happen in order to ensure that Gran Turismo never get's to this sorry state ever again, it's time for Sony to do what's right and that is:

Either:

1) Reassign Kazunori Yamauchi to a different role or relegate him to a consultant position: If you look at all that's gone wrong since Gran Turismo 4, it all trails back to this man, it appears that while he is clearly very intelligent, he is completely incompetent as a project/product manager as he does not seem to be able to deliver a product on time and at 100%. Sony needs to replace him with either a single project manager or a team of project managers from the motorsport, sports, media and marketing industries. I think Kazunori Yamauchi is possibly too emotionally attached to Gran Turismo to run it properly.

Or:

2) Pull the plug on Polyphony and/or put Gran Turismo on a 10-year hiatus and reset: Sometimes you get so far down the road that you eventually hit the glass ceiling, Sony, don't do what 20th Century Fox did to The Simpsons: endlessly repeat the same thing in zombie-form in the hope that popularity booms again. You've made your money out of this franchise, pull out while it's still profitable, or learn from what Capcom did with Street Fighter = put it on a 10-year hiatus, scope out via external sources what was good and what was bad, scope out the rivals, and them come back in a huge way when people least expect it, hell, do a 7 year hiatus and come back with Gran Turismo 7.

Either way, I think something has to change massively because this franchise is just becoming another WipEout.
Good thing the demo came out for you. Dont buy it. Thats why there are so many racing games out there for you.
 
@CConspicuous I'm not gonna jump down your throat for this post. I see what you're saying about this, I actually read all these posts before making this comment.

I honestly think that the tone that you took in your OP is what gardening the comments. You're not being a troll or anything. You came with this stern attempt to get your point across, and now people are giving their retorts in the same stern manner.

But yeah, I could see Kaz moving to a different role. Not leaving entirely, but making room for another person to give input.

For example, a friend of mine owns a clothing company. He's the head of the whole thing, but at times, I'll step in and give my input on something or even design something.
 
@CConspicuous I'm not gonna jump down your throat for this post. I see what you're saying about this, I actually read all these posts before making this comment.

I honestly think that the tone that you took in your OP is what gardening the comments. You're not being a troll or anything. You came with this stern attempt to get your point across, and now people are giving their retorts in the same stern manner.

But yeah, I could see Kaz moving to a different role. Not leaving entirely, but making room for another person to give input.

For example, a friend of mine owns a clothing company. He's the head of the whole thing, but at times, I'll step in and give my input on something or even design something.

Pretty much what happened, sometimes what guys like Kaz need are a few steps back or away for a while in order to come back and make real massive improvements, just think Andre Agassi or Robert Downey Jr.
 
The only way Kaz can be forced to retire if GTS fails miserably. Polyphony will remain. Unfortunately Evolution studios who were very talented devs were let go by Sony and I think some were kept for VR projects and others have gone elsewhere, most people joined Codemasters. As long as GT can make people buy the console, game. Kaz and especially Polyphony will remain.

GTS they have mostly done a good job. The worst decision I would say is online save and limited SP mode. Cars and tracks list is lacking but it is enough and something they can improve via updates. They don't necessarily have to get new cars just get cars, tracks from previous game. Not a fan of paid DLC though. Like other games if they are planning for some 30-40$ DLC then they are digging a hole for themselves.
 
Last edited:
Fine words, but it’s just a game, no point getting emotional about it. Plenty of other racers to go at either as well as or instead of. Yes it might be Kaz’s game, why is that a problem? One of my best mates is a head chef. Unless the food is badly prepared (rare) he doesn’t care whether people like it or not. It is his food, his ideas and the way he sees it, people are invited to eat there. If they don’t like it they can choose to eat elsewhere. If they do, they come back for more. Just like people are invited to his demo and invited to buy his game. Don’t like it? Move on, it’s pretty simple really.
I'm not "getting emotional about it," I am pointing out the blunt reality of,the situation to the OP who wants PD to change, the reality of Kaz and his game being what it is and if he is not down with it he needs to just move on. My pointing out of what I think the deal is with Kaz and GT was not a criticism, just a matter of facts (as I see them anyway). I am actually glad there are some rare cases left in the VG world like Kaz and GT where he can make the game HE wants/envisions creatively, and is not selling another formula garbage AAA by the number title. I may not completely like what he makes but can respect his endeavor.
 
I have to say this has been my feeling for years on GT. I even registered to post this as a long time lurker hah.

Kaz got rich and moved on. He was brilliant with first of the GT series. GT Pioneered the racing career mode car collecting etc. Then Kaz became successful and suddenly all these videos came out of him racing and driving his exotic cars and after that the series suffered. It was supposedly going to make the series better but it never did.

Kaz started semi pro racing and driving around in super cars and rubbing shoulders with pro drivers etc and I think he started to care less about GT. For me 3 was the best in the series and 4 while technically better felt like it had lost that GT soul. Boot up 6 vs 3 sure 6 looks worlds better but its sterile and passionless.

GT5 and 6 were frankly disappointing. If were honest 6 was released to fix all the problems with 5. I feel like GT runs on a smaller budget then say Forza (which has its own problems) and others. That being said the game is so far behind and out of touch its almost hilarious in this market. The AI still drives like a train, engines sound sub par, forget car modding etc. I know that they need to keep it accessible but this isn't even that its just poorly executed. I mean ya thats real progression hop in your full blown race car and crash and bash with teenagers online that have never heard the term racing line.

They have taken away the fun of buying a cheap car and making it fast then getting something better, something GT pioneered. I cant wait to wait another 5 years for a SP GT like the older ones if it ever comes out. Then we can all sit around and say PS5 launch game and then wait for something with even less content and more marketing then substance.

I mean competitors had great engine sounds and physics years before GT4 then 5 and 6 came out with the nice looking cars and re hashes from 4 it was a joke. Ya sorry this car looks like its from the PS2 game and sounds like a vacuum cleaner (because thats what it is) as Kaz is sitting there telling everyone at E3 how revolutionary it is... Oh but look you can drive imaginary cars with imaginary performance. "Real Driving Sim".........

It is amazing to see one of the best selling driving games on the planet turn into a mid grade lackluster game beaten by small teams on other games. Shows how $ and sales don't keep a series great.

Before you bash me I have played GT more than any other series out there. I bought the original the day it came out and have about 500 Hrs in 5-6 even though I wasn't crazy about them. I hope Sony sees one of their greatest series has gone in the toilet and makes some changes. Its sad to have GT not lead the pack.

I understand they loyal fans but I am voting with my wallet. I didn't want a FIA Approved Online GT. I wanted something with solid SP and Online features. If you buy things you don't want the company is going to continue to go away from what we want as they see sales as the barometer of the fans opinion on the direction they have taken it.
 
Last edited:
There are only two solutions, one you did hit, the other one is "what Sony says", so I'll go with one you hit "Keep it as it is, it's going to work out in the end"!

Cheers...
 
I like how most people in here are bashing OP and have 0 logical returning argument to offer because he suggested they do away with Kaz or "Move" him..

I've always had this feeling Kaz is the type of guy that if one of his employees were to make a suggestion about a new feature or making some changes to parts of the game that they would be demoted to picking up cigarette butts in the parking lot.

Also, It seems every time a new GT releases on a new Playstation we get less and less from GT. Hell, at this rate, by PS6 GT will only have 3 cars and one track. If making cars and tracks look pretty detracts from the actual slogan of the game "The ultimate driving simulator" please, cut back on it a bit. With that being said, i don't want standard and premium cars, but there's really no need to get every stitch on that rear seat that i'll never ever see absolutely perfect...

I think developing GT5 really put them behind the 8ball. As most companies had a tough time with the PS3 i think it really hurt polyphony. Looking back i would've gladly waited for GT6 to come out on PS4. Could've potentially been a launch title.. Now with Polyphony saying they don't even have plans for GT7 when GT sport was simply meant to be a filler game for GT7. I think Sony was getting on them about Putting out a game for the PS4, i mean, it has been out 4 years already.. And now, Hence why we're getting a game with only ~150 cars and 17 tracks and no promise for GT7.

I think they're going to do exactly what OP suggested, after Sport you won't see another GT for quite a long time. And GT Sports sales figures will be and indicator as to how long that may be. if GT sport only sells 2 million units.. That's not good. There was roughly a 7 million unit sold drop from GT5 to GT6..Companies like Sony want to see increases not decreases. Doesn't help it's releasing after Project Cars 2. And now, GT is being criticized more than ever because there's legit competition putting out quality stuff and actually listening to what their fanbase wants.

I could make a list 100 miles long about the the things that are wrong with GT and have been issues since the PS2 days.. For example, the sounds, the power delivery of high horsepower cars being like a light switch, the damage, the lack of certain features etc etc.

But to sum it up. Gran Turismo is like a family member, regardless of what they do (to a point) I'll support them 100%. But they have to take a step back and reevaluate the situation in my opinion.

A Gran Turismo without Kaz is like Metal Gear Solid without Kojima.

And what do we get when Kojima was axed? A zombie survival game.

Let us not Forget what got Kojima axed, sales decline.. MGS4 Sold less than MGS3, MGSV sold less than MGS4..

GT6 sold way less than GT5..
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back