Sony Australia Hints at GT5’s New December Release Date

Jordan Greer · · 114 Comments

On October 6th, Sony launched a giveaway competition for a free Gran Turismo 5: Signature Edition package. Since that time, the competition was set to end on the old Australian release date, November 4th. That end date has remained unchanged (confirmed by Google’s cache) – until now. The legal terms and conditions have just been quitely updated to list a new ending date of December 9th.

I will be first to remind you this is not an official announcement or confirmation of a new release date for Gran Turismo 5. However, it is the first specific new date related to the game which has been found on any Sony website, and December 9th is a Thursday. Australia’s old date, November 4th, is also a Thursday – the day of the week typically reserved for big video game releases Down Under.

Assuming Sony plans to keep the same sequential worldwide release schedule for GT5, we could estimate a December 8th release in Europe/Japan and a December 7th release in North America. Obviously, these dates are also a Wednesday and Tuesday – the same as the original November dates. Furthermore, these dates fall at the tail end of Sony’s internal release date window, provided to me by a trusted source shortly after the delay was announced.

As you may recall, Sony was quick to reassure us the game would arrive “this holiday season” and announced they “expect” to confirm a new date before the end of October. Time is running out, as there are only two weekdays left in October as of writing – let’s hope the updated terms of this contest are an early indication the veil is about to be lifted.

Thanks to GTPlanet’s sharp-eyed reader GTR12 for picking this up!

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Comments (114)

  2. SavageEvil

    By now most of you people should have grown up and quit complaining. Every bit of news about GT5 and turns into a b@tch fest about giving us a date. Seriously, put on a new LP, sounding like a broken record. Get over yourselves, you should have a lot of things going on in your life, that when you get this game you will be playing it for years considering the average adult has less time to devote to mammoth games.

    As long as Gamestop calls me when the game is released and they have my Collectors Edition, I have no reason to whine, whimper or throw tantrums.

  6. ken_b

    I’d love to see Sony confirm 12/7 for the N. American date by tomorrow. That would be cool..,will be even cooler when 12/7 arrives and game is in hand! come on Sony, throw a dog a bone!!

  8. marchy

    I received an e-mail a few days ago from CD Universe in CA, where I ordered online for the US version GT5 Collector`s Edition. It stated the new shipping date as Dec.7th.

  11. Foxiol

    Yes, could be a good date…i said 2 days ago that could be on november 30th…or december 6…but just for say something and that date could be the one…and for Europe could be 2 days early so… december 7th…not confirm but i like it…

  13. Watevaman

    If December 7th is indeed the date they have in mind, it’s both horrible and awesome for me.

    Horrible, as that’s the week before finals. Awesome, as once finals are over, I’ve got a month to play nonstop.

  15. MMGT

    If that release date is true then I’d be absolutely pleased! Why? Because look at how October’s just passed by without us knowing, November will be just the same! Trust me it’ll be out before you know it.

  16. Magic Ayrton

    So called original Release date would have been a week tomorrow.. Just stop to think about THAT!

    Now we have that extra month to think about it too maybe longer :(

  17. brettjr25

    Don’t care! If you guys learned anything from all this, then you should know the only important announcement is when they say GT5 has gone golden, nothing more nothing less.

    1. The_Rpg_Moogle

      Belga I don’t think many people here have heard of Sinterklaas…:)

      But I’m going to do exactly the same!

    1. DrTrouserPlank

      I assume you are refering to Ball of Doodie: Black flops? which is actually coming out in November, not December.

      Either way GT5 will outsell the combined total sales of Generic shooter number 693 on both the 360 and the PS3 so there’s nothing for them to worry about there.

  21. Mubble

    A Novemeber release was never going to happen. I can’t believe some of you were still hoping for that. 2011 seemed more likely. Any hint of a December release is good news.

  22. NBH

    Just got a DFGT wheel and December suits me fine as after playing GT with a pad ever since GT1 I need to do some serious practicing before I get GT5.

    I remember hoping GT5 would be out for my birthday last year so fingers crossed for early December this year.

    2. DrTrouserPlank

      It’s more the principle that they have actively chosen to make it the last release of all the regions. They could just have easily chosen to release them all on the same day.

  25. moonman79

    HMMM just went to my local “seven eleven”
    and they had boxes for GT5 and the original release date!!!!
    =-S

  29. TRC IVORBIGUN

    If this is correct the UK release would actually be the 10th Dec and not the 8th as a majority of games are always released on a Friday in the UK. I did post in the “GT5 is delayed” thread that the likely dates would be either Dec 3rd or 10th so lets hope this date is correct.

  30. madaz75

    All this makes me wonder how badly affected initial GT5 sales will be due to the later release date.
    Since with many other games being released during the “Holiday Season”, and no Confirmed release on GT5. People may spend their Gaming Budget elsewhere on other titles.

    I also seriously hope Sony have a Simultaneous World Wide release, and not ‘post pone’ release in Non Japan/US markets to “Meet Demands”.

    Europe and Australia will import copies from The US if they get told they won’t get it untill March 2011.
    Which would really hurt sales in the local markets.

    1. occasionalracer

      While some will argue this is increasing the general publics interest in the game and drive sales up, I see a major loss from casual gamers and parents buying their kids a racing game around the holiday shopping season. But you can’t forget that this whole delay is to release the game on the new firmware to protect themselves from piracy. No matter what, they got the true GT fans in a bag.

  31. Razor

    And I will repeate one more time, what I recieved from UK online shop: “…As you may already be aware, the UK release date for Gran Turismo 5 has changed to Dec-2010.” December might be the new date.

  36. White & Nerdy

    December?

    It’s not as bad as ’11 but really… why not late November! I was supposed to have my Collector’s Edition in the system and running by the end of next week! ARGH!

  37. Jay

    I’m surprised they’re waiting that long if those dates are true. You would think they’d try to get the game out before Black Friday.

  39. GTbyPlaystation

    I love how Sony Australia is teasing us with release dates that are relevant to Gran Turismo 5, however not confirmed XD
    Australia is getting their fair share of the news on the GTPlanet website, rather than being all European and American-based.

  41. RobGroove

    The release date in the UK was the 5th of November, that’s a Friday not a Wednesday which would make the Uk release December 7th.

    this would make more sense as its my birthday on the 6th and i usually get my games a day early…. Perfect!

  44. kilzonestrife

    Still,I consider what Sony has done as foolish and inconsiderate.sorry for any1 going on holiday,now you can sit by your mailbox waiting for Gt5 instead

  46. TheGranVette

    I just noticed something too though. When you look at the legal stuff, it states the WINNER will be chosen December 13th. I don’t know if they were going to chosen after the original date. Any Australian users know anything more than I do? I live in the US, so I’m not as sure as others.

    1. VYPA-SQUAD_Ace

      I just read that too. Would that mean that the game’s “release date” will be December 9th-AUS/December 7th-US and the winner will have to wait a few days before getting contacted or the game’s “release date” be December 14th in the U.S.?

  50. Louie_Schumii

    Just out of curiosity – what are the questions for the competition?

    I can’t see them because they won’t let my PSN through (not an AUS account).

  51. Dunavantj

    It’s 1 o’clock on Thursday in Tokyo now so you do you think the release date will be announced while we sleep or on Friday?

    2. Brucie B

      Haha seriously…just act like you don’t want it, and it’ll be on the shelves begging you to play it by tomorrow:D

  56. grbmrdj

    Sorry, what was that about google confirming what? I genuinely didn’t understand. But I googled gt5 release date, and i got 2010. Can they please stop being so specific?

    1. Jordan

      Google’s cache of the page (it’s just a saved copy of what the page used to look like) confirms that, as of October 25th, November 4th was still listed as the ending date of the competition. I only included it in the post above to show the date has just recently been changed.

  57. TJ31

    I really hope that GT5 will be released somewhere by early december, so yeah, awesome news.
    Now let’s hope that Sony/PD will keep their promise and give us official release date in 2 days.

    7. Devedander

      @jimantonic What’s your point? I am not saying it’s the end of the world or anything… just pointing out a clarification on a point of contention.

  61. wsoul

    Well, glad to hear they are shooting for within this year still. Hope they can do it too, cause I just finished paying off my preorder.

    1. Sigmaviper11

      I wouldn’t count it as anything yet. Until they actually say something, I’d say keep going like nothing was ever said.

    2. Andre

      @Sigmaviper11 Hummm… Do you really think that “their” word really counts?!? :-) Who cares what Sony and PD have to say about a release date? They just keep changing it!

      What I really want to hear is the word from some big retailer saying they have their copies ready for delivery ;-)

      Cheers

    4. pudge

      “Sigh, they better stick to their word this time. I’m sick n tired of the crap they’ve been pulling.”

      They missed exactly ONE announced release date (despite popular belief, there never was another release date announced before the Nov. 2, 2010 date), and it was apparently because they missed the production deadline by a few days. Unfortunately, those few days meant significantly more time to wait because of other schedules.

      This is nothing to get worked up about.

    5. HugoStiglitz_420

      @pudge dude, delaying it is one thing but they delayed it 3 weeks before release! THAT’S REDICULOUS & unprofessional. This is sony’s fault not PD’s. 3 days is nothing. Whatever was next in line like bluray movies are not going to sell more copies & certainly won’t make as much money. They could have shortened production runs of other product & continued later. Sony did this to pull some BS marketing scheme to help 3D sales but it’s not going to work any better. I’ll still buy GT5 as long as it’s out before christmas but I’ve it with Sony.

    7. Sigmaviper11

      @Andre I think you miss understood me. I said keep going like nothing was ever said. That this shouldn’t really count for anything as its not even a confirmed dat let alone, stores saying, hay we have it. In the mean time, its not the only game in the box. You have no choice but to wait it out.

    1. organ-donor

      I was hoping for a November release but I guess later is better than never. I’m still annoyed they are waiting until the last possible second of October to announce the new release date.

    2. Jakemania

      Agreed organ. I think it’s a big mistake not to release it on or before Black Friday/Cyber Monday. With the right advertising, they could sell a lot of copies on BF/CM that they won’t if they release it later.

    3. trk29

      You never know they could give the US a release before black friday and let the rest of the world get it after, that way if they are only able to print som many discs that window could be used to print the rest for the remainder of the countries. Who knows.

    4. Sasek

      Not bad. I was hoping somewhere within the next Monday, December 13th, good I hope the date will be final date and I play the game before weekend. :)

    6. FlareKR

      If they put it on that date, it’s going to flop. Only last minute shoppers (and us) are gonna buy it. If they want to sell, either the Tuesday on the week of Thanksgiving, before that, or forget about it. The Nov.2nd date was perfect as it was, the whole coding or printing issue, what ever the F it is, has ruined the prospects for GT5 to sell well.

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