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Gran Turismo now cruising at 67.89 million series sales, GT5 over 9 million
The Gran Turismo sales-o-meter is now at 67.89 million, according to the latest stats published by developer Polyphony Digital. Meanwhile, Gran Turismo 5 is in the slipstream of double figures, now up to 9 million units sold worldwide. While it still ranks as the lowest-selling main entry in the series (on PS3), it's closing in on fourth-placed Gran Turismo 2 (9.4 million).The majority of those 67.89 million series sales come from Gran Turismo 3, Gran Turismo 4, and the original Gran Turismo, speeding in at 14.9, 11.6, and 10.9 million respectively. As impressive as those figures are, Gran Turismo isn't the best-selling racing series out there. That accolade belongs to Need for Speed, which drove past 100 million sales back in 2009. We somehow suspect the two series' sales-per-game figures tell a different story.
Seen@Gamescom: Gran Turismo 5's Audi R8 controller
The city of Cologne, Germany, home to the country's annual Gamescom convention, is full of beautiful cars (proof!). During our week-long stay, I counted at least six Audi R8s in the wild. That includes this one, used to casually control a game of Gran Turismo 5 (by an underage driver, no less).As you might imagine, a line held steady around the massive, moving Audi R8 shell. It certainly didn't hurt that the device was smack in the middle of a street fair many blocks away from Gamescom's enormous facilities on the other side of the Rhine. We can only imagine the line had it been anywhere near the hundreds of thousands of Gamescom attendees!
Gran Turismo 5 'Academy Edition' racing to stores on September 26
This fall marks two years since Polyphony Digital's latest Gran Turismo screeched onto retailer shelves, and four years since the company partnered with Nissan on its GT Academy. As a result, the developer's celebrating with a special edition release of Gran Turismo 5 – "Academy Edition" – replete with the various car packs released since the launch in 2010.More specifically, you'll also get Polyphony Digital creative lead Kazunori Yamauchi's fancy Nissan GTR that he raced in real life during the most recent Nurburgring 24-hour race. If you bought it in real life, it'd cost like a trillion dollars, so this is probably the best way to get access.When the "Academy Edition" of Gran Turismo 5 launches this September 26, it'll cost €29.99/£19.99. The game doesn't have a price or launch date in the US just yet, but we expect to hear more on that front in the coming days.
New GT5 DLC lands Tuesday with Lamborghini and speed testing course
Most of us, in real life, must stay content with occasionally going 10 miles over the speed limit in our used 2004 Pontiac Sunfires. We'll never know the thrill of triple-digit speeds, or experience the bowel-shattering roar of an Italian V12 engine; the harsh reality of reality is precisely why games like Gran Turismo 5 exist. This Tuesday, equal doses of commuter sensibility and murderous horsepower will be available in Car Pack 3, the latest $5.99 DLC bundle of bumpers for GT5. The pack includes the Lamborghini Aventador, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage, the endurance-tuned Jaguar XJR-9 LM, as well as the more sensible Mini Cooper S Countryman, all-electric Nisan Leaf and button-cute 1966 Volkswagen 1200. In addition to the new whips, there's also a new course to test them on. Route X, available separately for $3.99, is a specially designed oval track with banked curves intended for speed testing. The track allows the user to measure their quarter-mile times, g-force and acceleration, so it'll be helpful for obsessive compulsives (read: us) who obsess over the tiniest of modification details.%Gallery-144689%
Gran Turismo 5 XL Edition peels out on January 17
As prognosticated by retailers last month, Sony has officially revealed Gran Turismo 5 XL Edition. As expected, the game packs in the original GT5 with a host of extra content, including every update through Spec 2.0 right on the disc and a voucher for five pieces of downloadable content. Finally, if you're looking for a little extra flair, the Blu-ray case will include a reversible insert that features the Red Bull X2011 supercar. Gran Turismo 5 XL Edition launches January 17 for $40.
Gran Turismo 5 'XL Edition' pops up on retailer sites
We're going to go out on a limb and assume that Gran Turismo 5 XL Edition, a mysterious new version of GT5 that's recently turned up on Amazon, Newegg and Buy, isn't a DLC-packed Game of the Year-esque compilation re-release, but rather a literally extra-large version of the original. Bigger cars, bigger tracks, bigger disc, bigger box ... it probably even requires an extra-large PlayStation 3 to play it. If you're a market analyst looking to make safe predictions, we guess you could infer that GT5 XL Edition is actually the stateside title for Japan's upcoming Gran Turismo 5 Spec II rerelease, but we prefer living on the edge and thinking outside of the box -- until Polyphony Digital makes an official announcement, of course, at which point all knowledge of this post will be disavowed.
Gran Turismo 5 gives away a Toyota, releases new DLC Pack 2
Don't you hate those "car as a gift" commercials this time of year? If you're in the US, you'll probably know what we're talking about: There's a certain car company that shows commercials during the holidays with an actual car being given as a gift, as if there was some world out there where it was completely appropriate and practical to buy a whole vehicle, put a bow on it, and give it away as a gift. Whatever, Mr. Moneybags. That said, Gran Tourismo 5 is breaking all the rules, and recently released not only Functionality Update 2.02 with some "community-inspired" improvements, but also the gift of a virtual Toyota 86 GT '12 vehicle (above) for all users. You don't have to pay insurance or registration on it, which, unlike a real car, makes it totally appropriate as a gift. And Polyphony Digital has also released DLC Pack 2, which brings four new models to the game, including a Nissan GT-R, a Mini Cooper, and a VW Golf, and is available for $3.99 on the PlayStation Store. Four cars for four bucks is also a great gift. An actual vehicle and all of the responsibilities and payments that come with it? Just put the money in a gift card and we'll figure things out ourselves, thanks.
Gran Turismo 5 2.02 update and DLC lands Dec. 20
You probably wouldn't guess it by talking to one of us, but petrolheads do have the ability to get burnt out on a specific vehicle. It may take a long time, granted, but eventually we'll get bored with our current ride and wish that we had some new iron to tool around with. It's called "Gear Acquisition Syndrome" (GAS), and GAS can be devastatingly expensive if left unchecked. Thankfully though, the GAS methadone clinic known as Gran Turismo 5 is here to keep those urges in check with a title update and several new sets of wheels, all of which become available on December 20. Car Pack 2 will set you back $3.99 and will furnish your ever-growing garage with a 2012 Nissan GT-R Black R35, a 2010 Volkswagen Scirocco R, a 2010 Volkswagen Gold VI R and the 2011 Mini Cooper S. Additionally, anyone who has purchased GT5 DLC in the past will also receive the Gran Turismo Racing Kart 125 SP, which is go-kart for some reason. The (free) 2.02 title update also includes a set of wheels: The recently revealed 2013 Toyota GT-86. Beyond that, the update boasts a slew of interface improvements and even nets you 10 oil change and car wash coupons (in-game, of course). Hopefully this will keep our greasy little mechanic hands busy enough to prevent us from taking out a second mortgage and buying that Thunderbird we've been eyeing.%Gallery-142045%
Gran Turismo 5 DLC delayed to October 25
When it comes to release dates pertaining to the Gran Turismo series, fans know better than to expect developer Polyphony Digital to actually meet those deadlines. It should come as no surprise, then, that Gran Turismo 5's first big DLC release, originally intended to launch on October 18, will now be drifting to October 25 in North America. As previously explained, the DLC can either be purchased in one big $11.99 bundle, or piecemeal as tracks, cars, racing gear, and paint jobs. Sony apologized for the delay but didn't provide a reason for it. Instead, the company will include a "special bonus" with the DLC on October 25, so you've got that going for you.
Gran Turismo 5 DLC coming October 18, update out today
The hefty hunk of expansions for Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo 5 has been dated, priced and torn asunder. That is to say, you can buy each of the constituent parts of the update -- the tracks, the cars, the racing gear and the paint jobs -- separately, or as one big, $11.99 piece of DLC. Or, you could buy some of the piecemeal parts, and then the whole package, if you were a crazy person with tons of money to waste. You'll be able to get your rich, crazy hands on the new content starting October 18. Meanwhile, the Functionality Update 2.0 that adds mid-race saving and other free features to the game, launches today.
Gran Turismo 5 getting big update next month, DLC to follow
Polyphony Digital CEO Kazunori Yamauchi recently announced on Twitter that Gran Turismo 5 will be widely expanded next month -- though he didn't really explain how. According to the Tweet, the game's "Spec 2.0 update" will launch during the 3rd week of October, with a new DLC pack scheduled to launch the following week. Kaz didn't mention any of the contents of either the update or DLC, leaving us to use our imaginations to determine their constituent features. We're gonna guess the update adds a fifth wheel to most cars, while the DLC's proximity to Halloween ensures it will contain some spooky vehicles, like a ... um, a werewolf bus.
Polyphony Digital shipping a third of its employees out of Tokyo
Gran Turismo 5 developer Polyphony Digital is transferring 50 of it's 150 employees to a new location in Fukuoka, over 500 miles away from their main HQ in Tokyo. According to EDGE, the partial relocation has been prompted by mounting concerns over another devastating earthquake in the Tokyo region, as well as the Fukushima nuclear crisis that followed last March's tsunami. Fukuoka, while no stranger to earthquakes itself, is Japan's second-youngest and second-fastest-growing city, according to 2000 census information. The city is positioning itself as a developer-friendly environment, counting Professor Layton developers Level-5 among its denizens. Polyphony Digital's arrival bodes well for the district, as it may encourage other developers to reduce operational risk by spreading their teams across the nation.
Track logos point to possible Gran Turismo 5 DLC
GTPlanet recently did a bit of internet sleuthing into the Gran Turismo 5 official website, and uncovered logos for 24 tracks which aren't currently available in the game. A few have appeared in past titles, including Gran Turismo 4 and Gran Turismo PSP -- but all 24 have never appeared together in the same title. Check out the process through which these logos were divined on this GTPlanet forum post, and check out the full list of tracks after the jump. It's unclear whether these logos are actually indicative of a batch of tracks that are coming to Gran Turismo 5 as DLC -- though it's worth noting that the list contains the track "El Capitan," which was shown as a GT5 track in a cross-promotional video posted (briefly) by Red Bull last year. If that particular track actually ends up in the game, that would mean that Polyphony Digital has been working on it for a while! Why, that doesn't sound like them at all.
Gran Turismo goes from racing lines to clothing line
Not to be outdone by another blockbuster franchise -- Metal Gear Solid -- the Gran Turismo brand has spawned its own clothing line. But where Konami is going for authenticity to its game and characters, Sony is focusing on neatly cut (and expensive!) coats and shirts. Being sold through the newly launched Gran Turismo Boutique, the threads range from a $25 T-Shirt with barely a hint of GT branding up to a $200 "endurance jacket" with the series logo embroidered across the back. Here's hoping the site's shipping isn't as delay-plagued as the series the clothing represents.
Yamauchi: Gran Turismo 5 to get in-race game saves
So, you're in the middle of the big race. In your sleek, modified land-rocket, you pour through the turns, inching out the opposing steel beasts while hurtling through space at half a football field-per-second. You're playing Gran Turismo 5, of course. You catch the draft behind your rival and slingshot past the -- OH MAN! You're telling us all of Scrubs is on Netflix Instant Watch? Like, every single episode? Sorry, high-intensity driving action, but we're done here. Fortunately, stoppping in the middle of a race won't have to mean losing your progress following an upcoming GT5 update. In a recent tweet, Polyphony Digital CEO Kazunori Yamauchi said -- as translated by GTPlanet -- that a feature which will allow players to save in the middle of the game's lengthy endurance races is "currently under development." Soon, friends. Soon you'll be able to watch all the Scrubs you want, and that unforgiving vehicular gauntlet will be waiting for you when you get back.
Gran Turismo 5 patched to 1.06, Remote Racing enabled
If you prefer to keep a safe distance from your driving sims -- or consider them an adequate venue for expressing your obsessive, controlling nature -- you should have someone pop in your Gran Turismo 5 disc today. According to the official site, an automatically administered patch (bumping the game up to version 1.6) enables support for Remote Racing, a mode that allows you to manage drivers in B-spec races via the Gran Turismo website. You could be earning money at work right now. In addition, the patch allows tracks from the Course Maker to be used in online races, which also dole out more experience points. Gran Turismo 5 v1.6 supports multi-monitor, multi-PS3 setups, and claims to have optimized the speed at which games are saved. It's a significant (and free) update, so be sure to have your assistant read the full documentation and report back to you.
Sony: GT Academy round two ruined by cheaters, won't count
Sony's GT Academy competition, which was intended to provide the world's best Gran Turismo 5 players with a chance to win a spot as a real race driver using their virtual driving skills, has hit an ugly speed bump. The game's publisher has announced that the second round of the five-round tournament is being stricken from the records -- and the third round delayed -- because some participants were taking advantage of flaws in the game in order to achieve seemingly impossible lap times. Specifically, cheaters were able to cut corners on the Rome and Madrid courses without being penalized by the game for doing so. Rather than reward the cheaters or end the competition entirely, Sony has decided to allow everyone who participated in round two to proceed to round three. Developer Polyphony Digital says that it's working to fix any potential exploits before conducting the third round of races, but can't put an ETA on the completion of the patch. That being the case, the planned start of round three on February 14, 2011 has been delayed indefinitely. We're glad that the competition is (hopefully) being made fair for everyone, but have to admit that it would have been pretty funny to see one of the "winning" cheaters cutting corners on a real race track.
Gran Turismo Anywhere to launch in early February
First announced at Tokyo Game Show last year, Gran Turismo 5's long-awaited Remote Races feature is finally gearing up for launch. A tweet from series head Kazunori Yamauchi confirms an "early February" release for the update. Formally known as "Gran Turismo Anywhere," Remote Races allow you to control B-Spec races from a PC or mobile device by logging onto the official Gran Turismo website. You won't be able drive, but you will be able to issue commands during the race to a virtual racer that levels up (and down) over time. While not particularly engaging, it is a good way of earning money to use towards better cars in-game. With the update arriving in early February, it seems Polyphony Digital is making good on its plans to release near-monthly updates for the PS3 driving sim. Update 1.05 came out in late December, and added 608MB of new features and tweaks. What else could be in store for 1.06?
Gran Turismo 5 moves 560,500 units in December, 1.14 million sold between Nov. and Dec.
Despite not making December's NPD top 10 list, Gran Turismo 5 sold 560,500 units last month in the US and Canada. IndustryGamers got the number straight from the NPD Group -- a number which looks like an apparent dropoff from Sony's late November launch numbers, which heralded 5.5 million units shipped worldwide, 1.25 million of which were in North America alone. And hey, let's not kid ourselves: a good amount of December's "sales" figures are also accounted for in November's "shipped" figures. All of them, in fact -- 1.14 million copies of Gran Turismo 5 have been sold in the US and Canada thus far, a representative from NPD told us this afternoon, leaving approximately 110K copies from the initial shipment still on store shelves. That said, plans for periodic support in GT5 were highlighted by developer Polyphony Digital as recently as last month. Add that to the fact that the 2011 Formula One season is just around the corner, and we'd say it's likely that racing fans will continue to pick up the game as early 2011 progresses.
