Gran Turismo recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and to commemorate the occasion, Polyphony Digital released a message detailing the franchise's growth over the years. The original Gran Turismo was released in 1997 for the PlayStation 1, and it quickly became a smash hit. The game was praised for its realistic graphics and physics, and its large selection of cars. Gran Turismo was also one of the first racing games to feature licensed tracks from real-world locations.
Gran Turismo has also been credited with popularizing the use of simulated vehicle damage and tire wear in racing games. Gran Turismo 2 was released in 1999, and it built on the success of the first game. After that Polyphony Digital released several titles in the Gran Turismo series, but the one that really changed the dynamics of the series was Gran Turismo Sport, which was released in 2017. Featuring jaw-dropping graphics, lifelike car models, and realistic physics, Gran Turismo Sport set a new standard for racing games.
On the 25th anniversary of Gran Turismo, Polyphony Digital president Kazunori Yamauchi shared a message revealing that over the past 25 years, Gran Turismo sold over 90 million copies of the game. Kazunori Yamauchi added that he started developing games at the age of 10 and Gran Turismo was one of the 100 projects he came up with when he officially started working in the game development industry. He continued on to say that he is grateful for all the support the fans have given him and the game over the years and that he looks forward to continuing to make great games for them in the future.
Kazunori Yamauchi tells the touching story of how the project started with just a group of five members, and how the team has grown to over 200 members today. Gran Turismo's most recent installment, Gran Turismo 7, was released earlier this year to positive reviews. The studio is continuously trying to fix issues and add more content to Gran Turismo 7 to keep its fanbase happy.
For those who are not aware, a Gran Turismo movie is also in the works, being directed by Neill Blomkamp, who is known for bringing unique films like District 9 and Chappie to life. The script for the movie is written by Jason Hall, who is best known for writing 2014's American Sniper, and is set to release on August 11, 2023.
Source: PlayStationBlog