If you are itching to race through a new "Gran Turismo" game with the improved graphics and online play that PlayStation 4 can deliver, you may be waiting for some time. The series's creator, Kazunori Yamauchi, recently confirmed to Eurogamer that "Gran Turismo 7" is in development at his game studio, but will not be released in 2014.
"We are working on the title. I don't think it'll make this year," Yamauchi told Eurogamer. Yamauchi did not state for which console the next "GT" game would be released for, but there is little doubt that the Sony-owned studio Polyphony Digital would release the driving simulator for the latest and greatest PlayStation.
In the meantime, the company continues to develop new automobiles, new racetracks and other updates for "Gran Turismo 6," which was released for PlayStation 3 in December 2013. The last update, version 1.09 from June 18, included the addition of the Red Bull Ring as a track, three new cars added to the line-up, adjustments to the parameters of several cars, tweaks to the car physics and a few changes to online gameplay.
The "Gran Turismo" games are developed by Yamauchi and his team at Polyphony Digital. The series debuted on Sony's original PlayStation in 1997 and has been a best seller worldwide in the years since. According to the company's own metrics, the series has sold over 72 million copies, with many individual versions reaching the rare gaming milestone of 10 million copies sold globally.
Sales of "Gran Turismo 6" have not been as speedy as previous entries in the series. In the six months since its release, "GT6" is estimated to have sold 2.3 million copies, again, far below the 10+ million that previous versions sold, including "GT5," which was released for PlayStation 3 in November 2010.
As a series, the "GT" franchise has built a following with auto enthusiasts due to its attention to detail when it comes to the car models, driving physics and track replication. It is known for having hundreds of cars per game with a more realistic style, rather than cartoony graphics and simulation-level controls and handling.
