- Shares
- 78
Having a successful game is already a difficult feat to achieve, but to have a franchise that has only gotten better over 25 years is a level of success that puts a studio and its developers on a pedestal, seemingly untouchable by the competition. That is the reality of the Gran Turismo racing simulation series, led by the folks over at Polyphony Digital, and its impact is hardly just contained to the gaming space. In fact, almost everything to do with cars has felt its magical touch.
That is the overriding sentiment shared by Kazunori ‘Kaz’ Yamauchi, CEO of Polyphony Digital, who is also the Director and Producer of Gran Turismo.
“Compared to 1997, when Gran Turismo first launched, there’s been less and less new car media out in the world. There used to be a lot of different car magazines and TV programmes on cars. But the fact that Gran Turismo still sells about the same as we have always sold throughout the series is still something that still surprises me,” Kaz muses.
“When you when I go to a car manufacturer now, they’re all Gran Turismo fans, people in marketing, people in design, people in engineering, they’re all fans, and I think that’s something that the 25-year history that we have brought to life. These are all people who came to love cars because of Gran Turismo, and now they’re creating, manufacturing and selling cars.”
The creator even shared that there is apparently a target audience for car manufacturers that fall under Gran Turismo fans, which is in itself a pleasant and quirky development.
Tweaking for Success in Gran Turismo
Although the goal was always to create the best racing simulator out there, the series has certainly evolved over the years, levelling up in various ways to appeal to all kinds of players. The most recent Gran Turismo 7 was critically well-received, but there was more that the team at Polyphony Digital could do to further enhance the experience, and that’s where the PlayStation VR2 comes in.
Kaz admitted that the team had “a very hard time” with the first generation of Sony’s virtual reality offering, partly because Gran Turismo Sport was not designed with that in mind. However, that was not the case for Gran Turismo 7.
“We already knew from the beginning, so it started with the systems being designed into the software to begin with. We worked from the beginning to make the assets and the engine able to draw 4K and 60FPS very easily. We are actually now compatible with 4K 120FPS as well; with that much effort made at the beginning, it wasn’t very hard to implement into VR”
The recommendation from the head honcho is for players looking to fully immerse themselves in the excitement of driving some of the best cars in the world is to use PS VR2 paired with a steering wheel controller, and that’s good advice.
Going Beyond the Tracks
Considering the influence of the series, it should come as no surprise that it has garnered a strong following, and even more so now as its forays into esports and mainstream entertainment are generating strong buzz.
The Gran Turismo World Series has brought to the world spectacular competitive racing since its inception in 2018, but that doesn’t mean Polyphony and Kaz are happy to keep things as it is. Innovation and improvements have to be made to keep the community engaged, and in 2023, big changes are coming.
“Until we have a format which we know is going to be able to be continued into the future, we want to try a lot of different things,” Kaz explained about the proposed changes to Nations Cup. “The reason why we are changing the Nation’s Cup to be a team format that’s like the Manufacturers’ Cup is because, now, it makes it more exciting for the competitors as well as more fun for the spectators to watch the races.”
Individual competition will give way to team races, and a better representation of each country and territory that makes it into the top. International rivalries in Gran Turismo should make for more exciting viewing as well. This charge towards more nuanced competition will undoubtedly enrich the playing field, just like in the real world, with Kaz being able to leverage his previous experience as a professional driver to keep things interesting.
“The conditions on the track are constantly changing. You have different surface temperatures, different weather, it’s almost like driving a different track every time as opposed to a virtual race with pretty much the same conditions every time,” he said.
“In eSports, you really do have equal conditions where you’re not allowed to do any setup on your car. So in terms of the competition itself, if you have new fairer conditions between all the drivers.”
Even so, Kaz doesn’t fancy his chances against today’s competitors. He gleefully revealed that his timing at Gran Turismo Academy back in 2008 was lagging behind decorated champion, Lucas Ordoñez, by only about 0.5 seconds. Now, that gap has widened to about 1.5 seconds, which makes a world of difference on the track, virtual or real.
As for other related projects, the upcoming Gran Turismo movie has also consulted Kaz for the first iteration of its script, and while he has not seen the full version just yet, he is “really looking forward to seeing the finished product.”
After so long at the top, you might be forgiven for thinking a leader like Kazunori Yamauchi no longer feels the pressure of delivering what is a pillar of the PlayStation experience, but that is as far from the truth as it gets.
“Every time, my life is on the line when I’m creating new titles. Every time it’s a new, great challenge,” Kaz summarised, and there’s no better news for fans looking forward to seeing their beloved Gran Turismo series continue to become even better with each iteration.
Jake is a full-time trophy hunter and achievement gatherer on consoles, and part-time Steam Sale victim. He has a thing for Batman and awesome statues, and running out of space for both. Send help.
Si Jia
Natalie
