Gran Turismo 5 to be PlayStation 3’s Flagship Title

Those of us here on GTPlanet aren’t the only ones who like the Gran Turismo series – it’s a pretty big deal for Sony, too. While speaking in an interview with MCV UK, Sony Worldwide Studios’ European VP, Michael Denny, confirmed GT’s importance to the company while defending the its lengthy development cycle:

“I think when you have got a game like Gran Turismo, which is THE PlayStation franchise, then you want the game to be absolutely right and to the highest quality.

“I think that now we’ve announced the date and we know this is a Gran Turismo year, it’s not only exciting for us at PlayStation company, but for PlayStation fans and consumers. And it’s going to be bigger and better than ever. From a worldwide studio perspective, our strategy is always to concentrate on the highest quality possible.

“We need exclusive games that differentiates our platform, Gran Turismo has always been our flagship title and I am sure it is going to be that again.”

Check out the full more of his comments in the full article at MCV.

See more articles on , , and .

Comments (81)

  1. todo18

    gt5 will be amazing no doubt but could it be like forza 3 a far better game in every way but even with the better graphics and physics it was just not as good as forza 2 the same can be said for mw2 and cod 4, one of the best games ever mw2 one of the worst games ever. im just hoping gt5 dosent end up in the should have been great section instead of is great. cant wait to see in novemeber

  2. Rovot12

    Most of us knew it was a flagship title since day one with the first GT. I wouldn’t say GT5 was the reason I got a PS3 primarily, but it is one of the reasons that contributed to my choice of one over a 360 or any other console. The blu-ray player was what won me over. GT5 and other exclusives was like the icing on the cake! (I never thought of buying a 360 btw)

  3. King Goeres

    If they bundle GT5 in europe i might just buy it, stuck with a phat 80gig

    hmm, but then I wouldn’t need my Collector’s edition..

    ..

    Who am I kidding?! I’ll just have two copys of GT5 ;D

    1. Duriii

      @King Goeres: You could get worse, you could have a 40 gb version, where you must buy bigger HD in order to play other games than GT5 :)

      @infamousDee: You’re wrong, a 60 Gb version had PS2 compatibility.

    2. King Goeres

      Fair enough, however, I have this naging feeling that my 80gig will YLoD soon. It doesn’t sound good after a round with FF13 :-)

  4. dearlybeloved

    I think that I will have to disagree with mr denny upto a point. Yes, back in the days of PS1 and/orPS2, Sony were the leaders in exclusives but as the game developers/publishers realised that here was more money to be made in releasing games across the majority of platforms, Sony now has fewer exclusives and to make everyone believe that this game will be ‘The ultimate exclusive;, well he has no choice but to say that IMO.

    Also wasn’t MGS the ultimate title for Playstation? all the console makers can say that about their flagship games. mario, halo, starcraft etc.

    anyways thanks for reading.

  5. nintandrew

    It’s the “flagship title” because GT is the only series still purely for Playstation platforms since the PS1, everyone else has sold out.
    MGS, Ace Combat, etc… The list is really sad, seeing how GT is one of the only original series left.

    1. nintandrew

      Sadly, we still can’t play Ace Combat 6, and I’m very OCD about “all or nothing” especially with game series (I did find and buy GTs 1-4 and PSP so now I can get 5, and the prologues don’t count) . :(

  6. xSTRAIGHTEDGEx

    Yay, i just got back from Gamestop to upgrade my reservation to Collectors Eddition, i payed it cash!!! The whole $100

    :D

    1. rofajole

      Madden? I’m sorry but Madden is nothing out in the world because american football is primarily played only in…America. lol
      And more, Madden is a multiplatform game so it could never be a flagship title for a certain console.

    2. Vulcao

      Even if I wanted to buy Madden I couldn’t because stores in my country don’t even sell it.

      One excellent title that I think should sell a lot more than it does is Uncharted. That game is so great. It’s on the same level of MGS4, maybe better.

  7. terminator363

    What he said there was like saying, “Gran Turismo is a flagship game, thank you and good bye.” most obvious and useless thing I’ve heard in the news

  8. dojOdRiFTeR

    I get a feeling gt5 damage system is going to be amazing and that videos we are seeing isn’t even near what they have

    1. Bernd

      They’re hiding it for TGS, I’m sure of it ! After all, PD is a Japanese company, so they need something extra-extraordinary for their greatest gamesshow

  9. Corey

    If it’s such a flagship title why can’t they staff more employees? 140 some odd employees creating the ‘highest’ quality? Is that why there is standard cars? Highest quality my ass

    1. DJSkyline701

      Actually makes perfect sense, if they hire 700 employees, it wont be certain and difficult to monitor that all 700 workers complete there work at the utmost quality, compared to 140. Quality of Quantity.

      And plus, if they are gonna hire the best of the best, the staff would want to be paid that way. That huge PD paycheck would have to 700 different ways, if 140 wasn’t enough…

    2. BWX

      @DJSkyline701, I don’t know about that. Sometimes I’m sure it comes down to a sheer man-hour to time given ratio. For instance if the can make 200+ premium cars in 5 years with 140 people, then if they had 300 people working on the game, all allocated where they are needed, then they could’ve churned out 400+ premium cars. I don’t personally care, I think GT5 is worth waiting for and that we’ll get a great game still. If more people were working on it though, maybe we could have had the same game sooner, or had a bigger better game now. Of course if they had more people working on it longer it would make sense that it would cost more. Compromises, compromises….

  10. Craigles

    Why do people race each other to get the first comment and why do you need to tell us that you were racing to get the first comment, all it means is your comment will be read first and they are normaly rubbish and have one word in it and WHY DO I EVEN CARE about people doing this grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

  11. Mickle Pickle

    I got my PS3 solely for GT5.
    Just as i have the PSone for GT2, and PS2 for GT4…

    I dont think previous GT games have ever been flagship material…

    BUT Here, i do agree, because Sony has finally understand the importance of GT/PD/Kaz, and it has become too difficult for them (SONY) to ignore and to undermine the impact from GT5!

    Flagship here means the technological advance in terms of graphics, and the sales to be generated over the next two years (solely based on this game).

    PD has hit the jackpot finally… this will give him more momentum. But the competition is going to be fierce, better than ever for us players!

    Secret is finally out, this whole secrecy means that Sony have been counting on Kaz these past 2 years. Just like Jordan said above.

  12. JH

    I to bought my PS3 just for GT5! well and of course GTA. Got my PS2 with GT3 in a combo! That’s what they need with GT5 a bundle sale. If they did I would by one in a heart beat, otherwise I will just upgrade my hard drive and keep on trucking with my 60gb system.

  13. Liam

    I bet GT will sell atleast 5 million PS3’S. that should edge us past 360’s, and we should catch up to the wii in about a year or two. GT5 by itself will sell atleast 10 million by the end of its lifespan (as long as sony market it right…kevin butler’s ad’s will not cut it!!! and they’re gunna need to, because 10 mill is like 1/4 of the fanbase…)

  14. terminator363

    I bought my PS3 really early for this, it’s also why I don’t have an HD TV but my tube sucks as it should, I can’t wait for the CE for this I ordered I can finally play my PS3, besides play GT5P (which I didn’t really like because the tracks suck, except for Suzuka, and Fuji.)

    1. Bernd

      Why does the Highspeed Ring suck? In fact, it’s modeled after the original 70s Fuji track, just some banked corners and a tunnel added

  15. Jgtc

    Honestly, this scares the crap out of me. Past gran turismos have generally been titles that cater to fans of racing sims. If sony wants this to be flagship title they will have to appeal to a greater audience. I just hope they dont turn gt5 into forza, dont get me wrong forza was a great game, but even turn 10 have said that forza is not a complete racing sim in order to appeal to more people. But i do think pd have the talent to pull this off while not sacrificing the things that attract core fans.

    1. infamousDee

      This is precisely why they have introduced “Standard” physics. I wouldn’t worry too much, Professional physics should be entirely unnaffected by this.

    1. Bernd

      Same here, except my PS1. I confess, I bought it for Ace Combat 2, because they are as outstanding in combat simulation as GT is in racing

  16. opladener

    Its time they start treating it as their flagship title then. Give more information to the fans, official forum, community managers etc.

    1. Jordan

      They’re tight-lipped for good reason. Until consumers can actually buy a product, hype means nothing. Too much hype too soon is a bad thing.

    2. Devedander

      While I agree too much hype too early is a bad thing, so is setting the expectations and then only getting part way there…

    1. Spaghettimonster

      yeah, get ico, shadow of the colossus, god of war and okami. NOW! ;) if you need to choose, pick shadow.

  17. T-12

    I thought news had to do with, you know, things we didn’t already know?

    “Gran Turismo 5 is going to be PS3’s flagship title.” O, Rly? =P

    1. Spaghettimonster

      yeah, its kind of absurd to post this news on a website that is kind of dedicated to a game that isnt even available yet. :D

  18. kollosson

    I purchased my PS2 as soon as GT3 came out, i’ll be purchasing my own PS3 for GT5 ( i use my sons at the mo )
    The GT series is THE system seller.

  19. Sprite

    This game has cost myself and my old man two HDTV’s and two PS3’s. I hate seeing Playstation reps. All trust up in suits this guy isn’t wearing his tie to make him look a bit more relaxed, these guys are tools. Money grabbing tools. We need more people with passion like KY.

    1. Spaghettimonster

      yeah, its a sad story, isnt it? i wouldnt mind if pd were free and gt would sell on xbox, wii and pc as well. i cant remember a single person at sony i really liked. on the ohter hand at nintendo miyamoto, fils-aime and iwata come to mind. i didnt get a chance to see the 3ds in action at gamescom, but i am 100% sure that it will again redefine handheld gaming as we know it. it will have millions of people smiling the world over.

    2. snaketus

      Thank god this game will never ship to the Micro$oft platform. That would be end of the world which is near anyway according to Mayas.

  20. Zmann42087

    This is completely and utterly true. When I bought my PS3 back in 2008, I did so solely for GT5 Prologue and, of course, in anticipation of the release of the complete GT5 title. It has turned out to be a better purchase than I expected… I love having the Blu-ray disk player. But the simple fact is the only reason I bought the PS3 in the first place was because of the Gran Turismo franchise. Polyphony Digital not only sells millions of GT games, they also have the uncanny ability to sell PS3 platforms in the process. PD is a “golden egg” for Sony to be sure.

    1. robert

      i couldnt agree more with both you and minihulkster, ive been a playstation fan from the beginning and played an imported version of GT and never looked back ever since, played other racers but none in the terms of playability graphics and exclusivity come anywhere near the range of Gran Turismo so heres to the next 5 years for ps3 and the next 3 versions (at least) of Gran Turismo

    2. Spaghettimonster

      i only ask myself why they cant spend 100 dollars per month more on an intern that actually keeps the gran turismo website up to date. :(

    1. neem'

      A flagship title and a launch title aren’t the same thing; are you suggesting that as a console gets older it can’t have new awesome games? They have to keep things interesting, I can’t see many people just buying the launch titles and playing them for the whole 10 year life span of the console… Metal Gear Solid was a PS1 flagship title, that came out in 1998, four years after the console’s Japanese launch. GT4 was better than GT3, yet GT3 came out closer to the PS2’s launch, does that mean GT3 was a flagship title and GT4 wasn’t? What about PC gaming?

      The fact is, launch titles are rarely groundbreaking, I mean how would the player or the console manufacturer feel if a developer squeezed all of the console’s power out in a launch title? These things take time, as people understand the console better they can code more efficiently and effectively for it, hence why games get more advanced as time goes on. Compare, say, Resistance: Fall of Man with Killzone 2, or even GTHD with GT5P, the difference is staggering even though it’s all on the same console, using the same hardware. Maybe the GTHD comparison is unfair as that was free and GT5P wasn’t, but even so.

    2. Spaghettimonster

      @WannaRace1: youre absolutely right. although i didnt buy the ps3 just for gt5p, its all i play on it atm.

    1. ukgtfan

      Graphics alone don’t make a game. also it’s subjective, are the graphics in uncharted 2 any better? we don’t know. we’ve not raced a car on a track in uncharted 2, or ran about shooting people in GT5..

    2. Devedander

      True, but in the gaming world as in the real world, looks count for a lot.

      You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and looks are almost always your first impression.

    3. neem'

      Graphics don’t make a game, but they’re still important. It might be a graphical showcase as well as a flagship game, but the two don’t always go together… That said, look at the other really big Sony releases in recent years: Uncharted, Resistance and Killzone 2 come to mind, none of which have poor graphics by any means. Amazing what can be done with an apparently ‘inferior’ (to the 360) GPU, isn’t it?

      In any case, the sheer number of features that have been announced so far eclipses most other games I can think of right now (at 2:50am).

    4. Spaghettimonster

      i really think there is no comparison to gt5. just remember it runs at 60fps and 1080p. which other game has that?

  21. Deadboy1975

    well he’s really earned his year end bonus….

    and the winner for the most obvious statement ever made is ….

    1. ICEMAN_ZIDANE

      i think you will not find any game which you can compaire with gt5
      it’s just awesome , 1 car (premium ) 3-6 months , nordschleife track 2 years
      crazy

      ps:in 2 years other game companies make a full game but in GT5 it’s only 1 track !!

    2. Gamer GT5

      @ICEMAN_ZIDANE actually 1 car(premium)is 1 year. Remember the 6 months was just from prologue. This is before they added damages, interior lighting, high beams low beams, and mainly the physics engine etc.

      If the cars takes 3-6 months there would be more premium cars in the game. This is going to be the best game in history.

    3. Sigmaviper11

      now when they say one year, is that a literal year? Or the combined logged work hours of those involved on one machine?

    4. Gamer GT5

      Yes a year for each car. In one of his articles he mentioned about the reason why there are only 200 premium cars featured in the game he says it takes about a year just for each car to be fully developed including damages etc. And also their main focus is on the developing the operating system engine for the ps3 which takes time. So when GT6 comes out it won’t take as long.

      The only problem is Playstation 4 will be coming out around 2-3 years from now. I would be kind of shock if they have time to come out with GT6 before the playstation 4 be revealed.

    5. Spaghettimonster

      usually in game development youre talking about man-months. that is one person working one month on a task. i think the cars mean the same. which of course means – couldnt be anything else ;) – that to build 200 premium cars in one year you need 200 people.

    6. ICEMAN_ZIDANE

      Gamer GT5
      thanks for your information guy ,you are awesome
      1 P car = 1 year
      2 P cars = 2 years
      a whole game like CoD = 2 years
      this is just awesome , i love GT5
      this are very big differences between a normal game and GT5

Comments on this post are now closed.

About the Author