After a busy 2011 for Polyphony Digital, including a move and expansion to new offices in Fukuoka, the studio has recently started to advertise for new “Gran Turismo staff”. According to this translation of their home page, PD are after a number of GT-specific staff, including:

Disturbing laws are being proposed in the U.S. Congress which threaten the Internet we know and love, including GTPlanet and hundreds of thousands of online communities and social networks like it. Known as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA), these bills grant unprecedented control over the Internet to the entertainment industry and the U.S. government while attempting to thwart online piracy.

The two latest DLC packs for Gran Turismo 5 are now available in the North American PlayStation Store. Here’s a quick review of the new content that’s available:

The latest Gran Turismo 5 update, version 2.03, weighs in at 225MB and is currently going live around the world. 2.03’s new features were leaked, but have now been officially confirmed by Polyphony Digital:

Reports have been surfacing the past few weeks of a glitch that dramatically affects online play in Gran Turismo 5.

This short, 1’42 video shows the first action seen at Gran Turismo 5’s new “Route X” track, announced earlier in the week.

After 24 hours contending with the heat, dark and fireworks of Dubai, the all-GT Academy team of Lucas Ordoñez, Jordan Tresson, Bryan Heitkotter and Jann Mardenborough managed to bring their RJN Motorsport Nissan 370Z home in a creditable 3rd place in class and 26th overall:

It’s the calm before the storm: after the surprise leak of 2.03’s updates, and more specifically, the details of the new DLC were confirmed, excitement in the community is running high. The Photomode competitions area is no exception – you can expect lots of images of the new cars next week, undoubtedly! But for now, what themes are there for you to take part in? Let’s take a look!

All fans of driving games should be aware of this by now, but today marks the start of a most unique race. A seat in the Dubai 24 Hours has been the ultimate prize in all GT Academy events to date but today, for the first time, the car is driven exclusively by GT Academy alumni – with 2011 winners Bryan Heitkotter and Jann Mardenborough joining Jordan Tresson and Lucas Ordoñez behind the wheel of the RJN Motorsports Nissan 370Z.

The new GT5 downloadable content that leaked a few days ago was confirmed earlier today by the North American and European PlayStation Blogs, who provided a few more details and pricing information.

Prepare to have your wet-weather driving skills tested in one of the latest new GT5 Time Trials at Spa Francorchamps. Here’s a complete look at what’s new:

Apparent information about Gran Turismo 5’s third round of DLC has appeared here in GTPlanet’s forums. According to “Space Empire”, GT5’s 2.03 update will be launched on January 18th, and will include a few of the following new changes and features:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08eA3364Hyk

With the 2012 Dubai 24 hour race fast approaching on 12-14th January, Nissan have published a “GT Academy: Road to Dubai” video serial that’s been broadcast on EuroSport since last September.

Did you have a good year? Gran Turismo sure did, and it looks like that success is set to continue into 2012 for the franchise, both digitally and in real life. Our Photomode community is just as successful as well, so join us this week in any of the numerous current themes. As always, click the theme title for each competition to be transported to the respective thread, read it’s first post to get all the info on submitting, and then, well, submit!

“Gran Turismo 5 XL Edition” has been listed in online stores for a few weeks, and today, Sony has officially announced the product. In doing so, they’ve cleared up a lingering question about the DLC “voucher” that’s included with XL:

More information about the recently-leaked “Gran Turismo 5 XL Edition” has just been posted by online retailer NewEgg. From the product description:

The latest addition to GT5’s Seasonal Events roster has just gone live, this time featuring 750PP cars without any further restrictions. The races are:

In addition to the all-GT Academy team campaigning in the Dubai 24hrs this month, Signatech Nissan team boss Philippe Sinault has announced his intended driver line-up for the 2012 World Endurance Championship:

U.S. GT Academy winner Bryan Heitkotter recently sat down for an in-depth one-on-one video interview with InsideSimRacing‘s Darin Gangi. Bryan discusses his background, what it was really like to come up through the ranks of GT Academy USA, and how he’s making the most out of his time with Nissan in preparations for the 24 Hours of Dubai.