Kazunori Yamauchi

The sim-racing hardware landscape has undergone a massive transformation in the last few years. What was once a niche market dominated by a few key players has exploded into a multi-million dollar industry, with brands like Fanatec, Logitech, Thrustmaster, Nacon, and Moza fighting for space on sim-racer’s rigs.

Although the situation has improved in recent iterations, for much of its history the Gran Turismo series has been heavily criticized for its engine sounds. During the PlayStation 2 and 3 eras, engine notes were often compared to “vacuum cleaners”; the result of synthesized loops that lacked the soul and mechanical violence of their real-world counterparts.

During an interview at the Gran Turismo World Series 2025 World Finals here in Fukuoka, Japan, series producer Kazunori Yamauchi revealed that Gran Turismo 7 is currently maintaining an active user base of over two million monthly players—and perhaps more impressively, that number is still growing.

As part of today’s major announcements coming out of Polyphony Digital, including Gran Turismo 7: Spec III, recognition of another significant milestone has been achieved: over 100 million copies of Gran Turismo series games have been sold worldwide.

The Vision Gran Turismo program is back in the spotlight with the recent reveal of the Opel Corsa GSE Vision GT. It’s a striking concept, blending the brand’s hot-hatch heritage with a futuristic electric powertrain, and it’s a welcome addition to the growing Vision GT lineup.

Gran Turismo series founder Kazunori Yamauchi turned 58 years old last week, and over the weekend has been revealing some of what he did to celebrate the occasion — including a unique road trip with some members of the Porsche family.

According to a press release posted by Moroccan news outlet Express TV, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra is coming in a future update to Gran Turismo 7.

Superstar musician Pharrell Williams met with Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital staff at the company’s offices in Tokyo, Japan. The visit was announced by Yamauchi himself on social media as he shared several photos of the occasion.

Kazunori Yamauchi has joined the motor industry voices paying tribute to automotive designer Marcello Gandini, following the Italian’s death this week, remarking that “Gran Turismo would never have been born” without him.

The recent Gran Turismo World Series Final in Barcelona gave us a chance to catch up with Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi as part of a short round-table session.

The Gran Turismo franchise has changed a lot over the past 25 years. From breaking ground as a “the real driving simulator” with realistic cars and driving physics to growing into an esports platform, the series has come to attract a wide range of people for many different reasons.

An interview with Kazunori Yamauchi posted recently to the official PlayStation Blog in Japan has revealed more about the origins of Gran Turismo, including the original concept presentation booklet.

Before the latest Gran Turismo World Series live event kicked off in Amsterdam, the city hosted the premiere of the Gran Turismo movie, which tells the story of Jann Mardenborough and his experience in GT Academy.

A presentation given by Polyphony Digital studio head Kazunori Yamauchi as part of the Sony Creators Conference event has revealed that the Eiger circuit location first used in Gran Turismo HD could be returning to the series soon.

Polyphony Digital studio head and Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi has revealed that the original working title for the game was, simply, “Sim Racing”.

Gran Turismo series creator Kazunori Yamauchi will deliver a special presentation a conference, titled “Motorsport of the Future: Between Real and Virtual”, in Paris in July.

The Gran Turismo series has had a lot of milestones over its 25-year history, but the anticipation surrounding Gran Turismo 7’s free launch-day support for PSVR 2 is reaching hype levels not seen in quite some time, if ever. Kazunori Yamauchi feels it, too.

After I had the opportunity to be one of the first people to play Gran Turismo 7 with PSVR 2 last week, I also had the chance to speak with Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi for a one-on-one interview to discuss the new hardware.

Over the holiday period, and to mark Gran Turismo’s 25th Anniversary, Polyphony Digital invited Japanese gaming media to a rare tour of its facilities and another opportunity for Kazunori Yamauchi to explain his thoughts of the past, present, and future of the series.

The Jaguar XJ220, once the fastest production car in the world, has been spotted in some behind-the-scenes images from a recent Polyphony Digital studio tour, seemingly scanned in Gran Turismo 7-level detail.