Gran Turismo 6 Tracks Receive Certification from FIA in New Partnership with Polyphony Digital

Jordan Greer · · 146 Comments

gran turismo fia

As confirmed in a major announcement from Polyphony Digital and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Gran Turismo 6 has become the first-ever video game to feature FIA-certified content, with four of the game’s real-world tracks receiving approval from the governing body of world motorsport.

Certification was granted after FIA officials visited Polyphony’s Tokyo development studio to inspect the game’s 3D modeling standards. Other tracks featured in the game are also marked for inspection to receive FIA certification in the future.

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Jacques Berger, Head of Safety for the FIA, spoke highly of the game’s quality standards: “It was not until we completed the tests between our track data and the game’s track data that we fully appreciated the level of work and attention to detail that goes into the development of Gran Turismo 6. It was not just the tracks that have been precisely mapped out, but also the surrounding landscapes such as the run-off areas, grandstands and buildings.”

Polyphony Digital’s partnership with the FIA will play an even more important role with the launch of the 2015 FIA Online Championship, an official competition which will be hosted in Gran Turismo by the FIA themselves.

“This innovative new partnership will ensure that millions of Gran Turismo and motor sport fans can race on even more detailed tracks at home. The Gran Turismo series has played an important role in helping to attract a new fan base to motor sport. With the input of FIA in the development of the upcoming FIA Online Championship, Gran Turismo 6 will now offer an experience even closer to the real world of motor sport. We are also excited to be working closely with Polyphony Digital and Sony Computer Entertainment in the future to find new ways to continue to make motor sport more accessible to millions of fans that share a passion for racing,” said FIA president Jean Todt.

Kazunori Yamauchi is understandably very proud of this accomplishment, referring to it as the “biggest accolade we have ever received” and a “major step forward [in] our mission to connect our virtual and real racing worlds”.

Stay tuned for more news and details on the FIA Online Championship, which is sure to be a major event in the world of Gran Turismo next year!

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Comments (146)

  1. chris berger

    i hope this means a lot more former race cars in the game and a lot more racing series stuff like more NASCAR more F1. do a lot more things like the senna content like a lauda hunt content series,classic le mans series content, and bring back gt tv with classic race footage from archives and classic rivalries like Lauda vs Hunt, Ford VS Ferrari. BIO of legendary drivers, and classic ads for cars. ALSO cool too see would be like a auction feature, or like auction with the worlds biggest auto auctions.

  2. chris berger

    i hope this means a lot more former race cars in the game and a lot more racing series stuff like more NASCAR more F1. do a lot more things like the senna content, and bring back gt tv with classic race footage from archives and classic rivalries like Lauda vs Hunt, Ford VS Ferrari. BIO of legendary drivers, and classic ads for cars.

  3. Lawndart

    I wonder what the actual line item criteria is for certifying a digital asset… Is it subjective? Based on real track data comparisons? If so will the FIA supply PD with that other data?

    I’d like to know.

  6. infamousphil

    Congrats to Kaz and Co.

    The two can now do virtually anything and everything to increase global motorsports awareness, sponsorship and ticket sales.

    Now let’s see if we can get FIA Safety to mandate ear protection with ticket sales. LOL… some of us may need ear protection from GT’s sound reproduction.

    Finally… I got v1.09… from 1.00. I’m happy but not satisfied until we get the damn course creator they paid lip service to until 6’s release.

  9. biftizmo

    Remember the useless data logger visualiser add-on function that no one wanted….this is the reason this partnership is even possible.

  10. XSRacing111

    Awesome. I’m sure that PD wasn’t expecting this.

    One thing I’d like to point out, we have the Ascari track…how about done Ascari vehicles?

    I’m sorry but, even with this huge accomplishment, Turn 10 still has better vehicles that should be in gt6 :(
    (Koeniggsegg, Airiel Atoms, Indy Cars, Classics, Camaro ZL1, among other things)

    And well someone please render the SSC ultimate aero tt? I’ve been waiting for that car since 2007.

  12. JacobRPP

    Am I the only one who reads FIA online championship? So a completely new and online separate sanctioned racing series by the FIA on GT6/7. So no GT3 or F1 or Le Mans.

  13. StigBelcherStyl

    Does this mean with the new license that Gran Turismo can bring back the Ferrari F2007 & Ferrari F10 Premium Formula one cars from Gran Turismo 5 ?

    1. Amac500

      Nothing to do with that what so ever. You’re assuming the FIA means F1, which it does not. The also regulates safety for all the major series in the world and sanctions numerous leagues that aren’t F1. So nothing happening here has anything to do with F1 at all anyways, but even if it did it would have no impact because Ferrari is the only team who owns the license to its own cars, so licensing for the Ferrari F1 cars is completely its own thing.

  14. VBR

    I wonder if the FIA know that there is no flag system in GT6, no drive through penalties, no actual recreation of any real world motorsport, just good looking tracks & cars?

    1. Whitestar

      Hopefully this can put some pressure on them to up their game with regards to physics, FFB, sound and certainly racing content.

    2. BWX

      Kaz probably told them a whopper and said those things were in GT. remember he has a very loose relationship with things like the truth, and facts, and dates, etc..

      They used SENNA to sell GT6, and look what we got. What, like a couple cars and couple races, months after most people stopped playing GT6? Pathetic.

    3. research

      most excellent point, VBR. Also @BWX, where are these “races” in the Senna content??

      It was Time Trials only, which could’ve been predicted 4 years prior… : /

  18. fatkid

    This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship; or a wasted opportunity, like the Top Gear licence. Please be the former.

  21. moxlox

    I’m guessing the four currently approved tracks would be the most recent real world circuit additions: like Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Red Bull Ring. Can’t think of the fourth candidate as I write; perhaps Bathurst?

    I speculate it’s the most recent as PD obviously up the realism with each development iteration they undertake. Brands Hatch to me is especially impressive.

    3. moxlox

      The FIA grades most tracks used for competition, and I think testing. A FIA grade doesn’t necessarily mean it is usable for Formula 1, that it is only the top grade of track (Grade 1); i.e. only Grade 1 tracks can be used for Formula 1.

      A quick internet search indicates Brands Hatch is FIA Grade 2. See this list someone put together a few years back:

      http://forums.autosport.com/topic/157949-list-of-all-fia-graded-circuits/

      Good point about Monza though. Didn’t people spot a few minor modifications to the contemporary version of the Monza track when the 80s version was released? Perhaps this was to get the accreditation? Mind you the barriers at the first chicane on GT6’s Monza don’t seem to be a realistic representation, and this article implies even things like gravel trap positions were used to assess the realism of a modelled track.

  23. StarLight

    This is really awesome news, a partnership with FIA could bring back certain F1 cars and at least new F1 circuits.
    Respect for PD!

    1. QuattroDelta

      “New F1 circuits”

      Yeah, Sepang, Sakhir, Yas Marina, Sochi…very exciting, I can’t wait.

      [/sarcasm, if someone didn’t notice]

    2. ThrasherDBS

      I don’t know. I’d personally be excited to race Sepang, Interlagos, Montreal, and even Imola if we can get away with it.

    3. Zachtan1234

      I’d love me a night race at Yas Marina….. It many ways it’s the perfect circuit for one (apart from Singapore’s street circuit, but Singapore’s is too hippocritical IMO)

  24. Swagger897

    Oh my freaking god this is awesome… Hopefully WEC will flow into this somehow, and we get more endurance races.

  30. JASON_ROCKS1998

    Possibly this means more licenced racing cars from racing series racing series in GT6 like WTCC, WRC, World Rally X, GT2, GT1, and possibly but not as likely, licenced F1

    1. Ben West

      yeah hopefully more Australian tracks like Adelaide, Hidden Valley, Sandown, Gold Coast street track ect. and some more ATCC V8 Supercars, by Ford (AU), Holden, Erebus Motorsport AMG, Volvo and Nissan

    3. Tenacious D

      Wow, this is the kind of news I want to come home from work for! This is only what I and many other GT fans have been asking for for years, and it’s coming.

      As others have said, I’m begging Kaz and the team to please put as many racing series in GT6 and future Gran Turismos as possible. But FIA has such a wealth of racing types that I could settle for that. For now. ;-)

      Bring on the Course Maker, Event Maker, Race Mod and Livery Editor! And Gran Turismo shall become the eternal racer for millions.

  31. vrossi

    The FIA was very impressed with the track accuracy, but said to Kazunori, “what’s up with the sound”?

    1. FS7

      More like “what’s up with the race format offline, dumb catch-up races, bad AI, & unbalanced grids?”

    2. FS7

      It would be great if PD added changeable weather to Monaco. To me it makes no sense to have Senna content and not have Monaco with rain.

    4. ipswich1992

      It’s not fake, it’s Monaco pre 2002, with more barriers instead of run-offed chicanes, included the old rascasse and swimming pool sections.

    5. BLADErunner80

      Just as with the Le Mans 24hr race the Monaco grand prix is not solely run by the FIA, but hopefully with this partnership an updated version of the circuit could be nearer.

  33. Louie_Schumii

    Lolwut? In all seriousness this looks like a good way for Gran Turismo to really cut into the user base of the hardcore sim market such as iRacing. I wonder what this online championship is going to be about?

    1. JASON_ROCKS1998

      Since its FIA, who run the GT3 and all, it could be some sort of GT3 championship on GT6 on the certified tracks, but could include other cars like LMP as well. No ones really sure yet

  34. TheCrazySwede

    “Gran Turismo 6 has become the first-ever video game to feature FIA-certified content” – Didn’t SimBin do this back in 2004 – 2005 with their GTR/GTR 2 (FIA GT Racing Game) sims?

    1. machine1121

      My guess is that SimBin just had licensing for the FIA GT Series, not an official certification from the FIA that provides an endorsement of the authenticity of the 4 tracks (so far) in GT6. This certification is critical for the FIA to sanction an online championship.

      I’ve been hoping for a partnership with SRO to get Blancpain GT Series content, but an FIA certification for an online championship is bigger than anything I ever thought possible for GT. In my opinion, this makes GT6 (possibly 2015 GT7 /GT7P) the most important racing game out there.

      Now if we can just get the course maker…

    2. Tenacious D

      What machine said. This is nothing short of incredible news, and JUST what I’ve been asking for. I’m counting on the whole laundry list of racing classes from FIA in the near future.

      And not just the Course Maker, but the Event Maker, Race Mod, Livery Editor, online Club and League Builder tools…

  36. ThrasherDBS

    Holy crap, this is amazing.

    …and to think, this is the exact same company that made Motor Toon Grand Prix too. Quite an interesting starting point to where we are now.

  37. Amac500

    JUST SO EVERYONE IS CLEAR: Just because it says FIA doesn’t mean it has anything to do with F1. The FIA does safety sanctioning for every major series and we aren’t talking about Bernie’s FIA either. This is strictly based on the accuracy of PD’s track rendering and it HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH FORMULA 1… I got the sense there was and will be confusion.

  38. IngRobNy

    Congratulations polyphony Didital.
    This is great news, my first thought was to go in hibernation for a whole year and wake up to the FIA Online Championship in 2015.
    But i’m afraid to miss all content we may recive this year.
    From a slow start, especially from february to may, the Gran Turismo 6 has really started to pick ut the pace.

  39. Amac500

    Well I think this might finally put to bed the whole Forza vs Gran Turismo debate for realism, especially when considering the trend of car companies incorporating Gran Turismo into real world model unveils.

    But the biggest news here to me is that if they are doing a championship through GT6 in 2015, that just secured GT6 at least a year of attention and updates and such.

  40. sokira

    Wow a great achievement for PD and Kazunori. Let’s hope for us a even better experience and more content relate to the autosport.

    3. Amac500

      How do you not care? If you don’t care about this you care about nothing, because this is not only the biggest accolade the franchise has ever received, but possibly any video game. Plus it plays a huge role in future content and support.

    6. Quakebass

      What you’ve said is that you don’t care that PD is now on very good terms with the association that licenses a large catalogue of major real world tracks and racing series like GT3, WEC, WTCC, etc…

      …k.

    7. liv4hardstyle

      foolish not to care about this. you can’t see the bigger picture here. well done PD. you deserve it. I did 50 laps of redbull ring last night in the lotus 97T and every lap was bliss

    8. infamousphil

      Point taken two-foety. I want a track creator for 6 as well. Kaz and Co. will continue to produce virtual high quality tracks and cars… thats what they do. The big deal is…well you already know.

      For those who see the ‘big picture’… you think Boise, Teac or Memorex should pimp slap Kaz and Co. for their sonic reproduction?

      OMT always use ear protection at all head bangers balls ;) Take that FIA Safety pimps!

    1. Eyes Fried Open

      I would rather have all the other class types sanctioned and in the game before formula one cars. Theres Codemasters F1 if you want to play with those. Just give us more regular race cars and if we were to have any thing in the open wheel/formula class i would rather have the renesis powered Formula Mazda. At least its a little bit more interesting than the F1 cars.

    2. ks20

      I’m still waiting on the introduction of IndyCars and possibly the introduction of Long Beach/Barber Motorsport Park/Road America? Or bring back Sonoma raceway…I loved that that track :(

  47. MeanElf

    Seriously well done all of PD and Kazunori-san. Good to see yet another piece of recognition coming your way.

    I hope this will silence all that ‘PD is in Nissan’s back pocket’ rubbish that has dogged the past GT Academy outings.

    1. Eyes Fried Open

      Most of that is coming from people loyal to that other game. They just hating on us because they don’t have a Forza Academy.

  48. acedition333

    Congrats to PD! Great news for us!
    New stuff still to come from now until 2015 for GT6.
    I’ll be waiting!!!

    So that mean that GT7 will be for 2016??

  49. beezball

    I can’t wait to get all the 2014 season F1 cars!

    The best part is that if Polyphony makes them sound like crap then it will actually be accurate this time!

    2. Amac500

      This doesn’t involve F1 at all, nor does it say your getting 2014 cars. Your not getting 2014 cars.

  52. mavryk_gt

    Dear PD,

    Stop giving me excuses to come back to you. Since I’ve settled down with the new love of my life (Gaming PC) you’ve teased me back with Senna cars, Goodwood Updates, Le Mans Toyota and now this. I thought we was just gonna be friends, but now… Um, Shall we meet up and reminisce about how good we used to be?!

  53. Doober

    Wow. I feel like this is way larger than what this small article is making it. I see new hallway with open doors for Gran Turismo now. This I bet will lead to some big things in the future.

  54. Blood*Specter

    This is huge for GT gamers. Being approved by FIA could also mean more cars.
    Needless to say, all the FIA real world tracks should be in play. Really good news for us all.

    I wonder if alliance with FIA could help PD get more racing cars? Like 458 GT3 maybe? LOL

  55. ExplodeTheApex

    Great news! Suck on that Forza ;) maybe PD weren’t sleeping in those five or so months where we heard nothing

    2. GT5 Level 41

      Same to sound complainers. Suck on that! I guess FIA didn’t find the sounds so offensive. Be sure to stay out of those upcoming sanctioned events too. I hate for y’all to have to deal with all those poor sounds.

    3. SavageEvil

      @GT5 Level 41 Got nothing to do with sounds buddy, it’s about course accuracy and safety regulations matching FIA sanctioned courses. Read the article again, you see them reviewing the course data not the cars whizzing around on them. Although they may do something about that in order to accurately represent cars racing on a given course.

    4. GT5 Level 41

      ^That didn’t stop the sound complainers (see posts above).

      It’s become such a tired and lazy post it’s laughable. The Planet posts a feel good story, wait for it, wtf about sounds? New content? WTF about sounds? New seasonal, WTF ABOUT SOUNDS? Lemmings the whole lot of ya.

    6. Master Weasel

      I don’t understand why you guys are getting so excited and bashing Forza in the process. This is no guarantee for new content.

  57. GumballCGT

    Some pretty crazy news! Looking forward to hearing some more details on how this is going to workout. Video games aren’t just for messing around anymore lol.

  59. Scuderia Paul

    Wow. This is huge for GT. Great work by PD and all the best for the FIA Online Championship. Looking forward to it already!

  62. Humungus

    So… is this some kind of hint that PD is getting some more FIA licences and therefore more cars and tracks or is it just a (pretty useless) confirmation that tracks already in GT look accurate?

    1. stuff1138

      probably both…right now just confirmation that the tracks and their surroundings are realistic. Though a partnership like this can only bring good things.

    3. BLADErunner80

      The FIA could be offering this to all racing games. FIA get to be relevant to mostly young people who play games but don’t currently watch motor racing, and the game companies get to shout “hey look how great our new game is we got this many FIA approved tracks”.

  63. FS7

    Hopefully that means more race tracks & real tracks to be added to GT6, as well as real race elements such as opponents who drive at a decent pace and are aware of other cars, damage, fuel/tire wear, qualifying, and standing starts.
    However, 2015 seems a bit late for the online championship, considering GT6 has been available since last year on PS3.

  64. stuff1138

    Which 4 tracks? There’s more than 4 real world tracks in the game and more than 4 of them are really solid representations of the real thing.

    2. MeanElf

      “Other tracks featured in the game are also marked for inspection to receive FIA certification in the future” So it doesn’t really matter which four, as the others will follow.

    3. Amac500

      Doesn’t mean it’s the 4 current F1 tracks, the FIA does safety sanctioning for every series in the world. Just because it says FIA doesn’t mean it has anything to do with F1.

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