Earlier in the week, Yamauchi stated vigorously during an interview that the Polyphony Digital team is currently working on Gran Turismo 6. That got us thinking, will it come out for the PlayStation 3, or will we be waiting until the next generation to see it come to fruition? Let’s step back and approach this question with as much evidence as possible.
Gran Turismo 5 had one of the lengthiest development cycles in gaming history, lasting from before the release of the PlayStation 3 until its fourth year of existence. Much of the development time was put into the game engine, which despite having lackluster damaging modeling, is far ahead of the competition when it comes to physics simulation and visual presentation. The thing is, that engine might not translate well to Sony’s unannounced PlayStation 4, and as a result it would only make sense for financial reasons to seize the opportunity and release another title that runs on it before moving onto a new project.
Additionally, while Gran Turismo 5 has sold over six million units, it received some criticism when it launched. Thankfully, the few issues that critics spoke of weren’t particularly huge, but seemed like noticeable blemishes on what many expected to be a perfect game. Things like loading times, poor UI navigation, and “standard cars” kept it from being yet another 90+ rated game for the series. It’s safe to say that Polyphony Digital would like another shot at being the champion of this generation’s racing simulation genre. Releasing a follow-up similar to Gran Turismo 2 which polishes the experience and addresses the items that fans have given feedback on is a strong possibility.
Speaking of console Gran Turismo titles only, Polyphony Digital also has a history of releasing two games per PlayStation platform. Best of all, each initial title was followed up by one that was not only more robust, but featured a lot more content as well. For example, while the original Gran Turismo came with 178 cars and 11 tracks, its successor released with 650 vehicles and 27 tracks. We expect this tradition to continue, and as a result not only should Gran Turismo 6 be a PlayStation 3 title, but it should heavily improve on what is already a thorough racing simulation experience.
Lastly, the PlayStation Vita is nearing release, and it’s fully capable of producing PS3-quality visuals, and due to its capable hardware and dual-analog sticks there are already plans to release titles that work on both the Vita and PS3. While Gran Turismo for the PSP didn’t do particularly well, it’d be both in Polyphony Digital and Sony’s interest to get one of the most recognizable Sony exclusives on the platform. What better than to have a release that works on both platforms? The Vita will be Sony’s premier platform for the next couple years, so it’s highly unlikely we’re going to see a PS4 in the immediate future, and with the inevitable PS3 price drop to the golden $199.99 price point, there’s an opportunity here to hit the market like a storm, promoting both the PS3 and Vita in the process.
Polyphony Digital has continued to support Gran Turismo 5 with regular patching, seasonal events, and even the recently released DLC. However, sooner or later fans are going to be dying for another racing simulator fix, and Polyphony Digital will be under pressure to release something that stays competitive in the modern market, but doesn’t take such an inordinate amount of time to release. So we ask you, what platform do you think Gran Turismo 6 will release on? Share your answer in the comments below.
