Gran Turismo’s Ups and Downs in 2009

gran-turismo-5-tokyo

It’s been both the best of times and worst of times for Gran Turismo fans in 2009. It started out in what many believed would be the year of Gran Turismo 5, but actually turned out to be the year of another title almost nobody was expecting: Gran Turismo PSP! Regardless, we’ve learned a lot about GT5 – from WRC, to NASCAR, to our first look at damage and rumors of a track editor, it’s been a pretty good year. Now, as we look forward to GT5’s Japanese release in March, here’s a look back at 2009, along with all the links in case you missed something along the way…

January

February

March

April

  • Word hits the web that Gran Turismo 5 will be playable only in “B-Spec Mode”.  (Just kidding!)
  • The Internet heats up after our long-respected insider, Amar212, reveals many exciting tidbits about the future of the Gran Turismo series. Discussing everything from the then un-announced Gran Turismo PSP to a mysterious track-editor in GT5, Amar’s words are still referenced today as we try to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together…

May

June

  • Gran Turismo PSP is officially announced and dated, and its first video trailer is released.
  • Gran Turismo 5 is officially announced during Sony’s press conference at E3 2009, and we finally get our first look at the game in a new trailer. In addition to the updated visuals, the video also confirmed the WRC and NASCAR licenses, along with our very first look at the game’s new damage rendering.
  • In three different interviews (here, here, and here), Kazunori Yamauchi reiterates that Polyphony Digital can “release [Gran Turismo 5] whenever we want”, leading many to suspect a 2009 release date.

July

  • gran-turismo-5-screenshot-24GTPlanet expands to Facebook and Twitter, which have become two very popular extensions of the site with several thousand followers and fans. (Thanks again, guys!)
  • Yamauchi emphasizes that the GT5 trailer shown off at E3 in June showed a “very small portion” of the game.

August

September

October

  • 5 years after it was first announced, Gran Turismo PSP is released worldwide.
  • A secret and still-unpublished GT5 video is shown to a select group of journalists, showing off what was described as very impressive and improved damage model.
  • gran-turismo-5-boxart-peek-3A new GT5 video showing the Toyota FT-86 Concept is released, giving a peek at what appears to be yet another new mountainous road in the game.
  • Yamauchi comments that they’re working on a “brand new” damage model for GT5 – a curious remark after some people criticized the game-play damage modeling shown off at GamesCom earlier in the year.
  • In a clip that’s supposed to be showing off the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, we catch a glimpse of GT5’s box art on what appears to be a boxed-set large enough to contain three separate discs. Speculation abounds…
  • Yamauchi casts doubt on night racing and weather will eventually make it into GT5.

November

gran-turismo-5-demo-screenshots-39December

  • The Gran Turismo 5 Time Trial Challenge and the second GT Academy are officially announced, to be played out in a new demo showcasing GT5’s new physics engine at the new Indianpolis Motor Speedway circuit.
  • An SCEA producer for the Gran Turismo franchise mentions a “Summer 2010” North American release date for GT5.
  • On Christmas day, new GT5 city tracks located in Rome and Madrid are revealed in a new video.

It’s been a pleasure (most of the time…) keeping up with GT and Kazunori Yamauchi over the past year. I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride, and I hope you’ll continue to count on GTPlanet as we get ever closer to GT5 and beyond. See you in 2010!

Comments (41)

  1. wiretap

    Slightly off topic I know lol, but why in the the top screenie above is there a C4 WRC racing against two Super GT motors? lol

    Now no one have a go at me being negative about GT5, but that is something I havnt liked about the GT series. Having one type of race car against another type which would never happen in the real world.

    Hopefully this will change now GT has some offical series’ in the game now.

    I’d love to see some offical DTM in GT5 too!

  2. z06

    What a debbie downer…I have enjoyed waiting and looking at the information provided, why don’t you just be thankful that some people are going out of their way to bring all of us great stuff. Happy new year!

  3. Jordan

    @JAGUAR1977: Perhaps you’ve got a better idea of what I should post between GT news events instead of these “fluff pieces”?

  4. JAGUAR1977

    One of the downs is most certainly the fluff news pieces on GTP like the above.

    The other down is PD wasting their time on GT Mobile for the dead on arrival PSP GO!

    All in all a pretty awful year for PD and GT5 fans.

  5. slaphappygunner

    happy new year!!! GT5 on 3/30/2010 yay!!!! atleast that’s when target says it’s coming out. fingers crossed…

  6. tameem

    i wonder why we are not hearing any news about gt5, its only 3 months to go
    we were getting info about GTPSP months before it came out and it wasnt even as big as GT5

    happy new year to everyone 2010 IS THE YEAR OF GT5 no doubt.
    thanks GTPLANET for everything

  7. Azzer09

    This is a great site, keep up the wonderful work. Let’s hope this is defenitly the year for gt5! Hope it comes out in march in Europe too!!!

  8. Razer

    Been a fun year. Thanks to the expansion to Twitter I found this place.
    I’ll take a March/Summer 2010 release. Gives me more time to get used to my Driving Force GT (and GT5’s physics!)
    Happy New Year to all. Onwards to GT5!

  9. Turbo_3800

    Seems like all the good things that came about this year far as the game’s development has been crushed by the release date IMO! Like we’re all at a Sony strip club and GT5 is being shown in videos & pics and we were told a 09′ release but club owner Kaz said GT5 has cold feet, it’ll be ready 2010 while we’re steady getting teased by info (I’m crazy I know) Lol but here’s a toast to 09′ and the development so far, cheers to 2010 when we all slap on our 1st $5600 stage 1 turbo kits lol

  10. deep_sky

    Really great recap. It’s amazing how much new there was when you actually think about it.

    Merry Xmas and happy New Year to all.

  11. Phil

    I’m glad this article has somewhat of a bash at Kazunori and his total lack of ability to speak to the media or indeed anybody with any degree of confidence about anything.

  12. aleksandar SRB

    Happy new year everyone!!!! :)))))))
    I wish is to see a lot of screenshot and videos in next 3 months!!!!!

  13. noname

    It’s so amazing how much effort PD puts into the GT series. I dont think Forza 3 got a chance when GT5 releases. I got forza 3, and to me, its definately overrated. I dont hope GT5 will turn out to be overrated aswell. They never dissapointed me.

  14. Rusty*

    Thankyou for a great round up of ’09 there Jordan, have a happy new year fella’s.
    I’ll see you al next year. :D
    R*

  15. robert

    March 2010 here we come………start counting down guys coz as speedemon said, forza players are gonna literally **** themselves once they see what theyre up against.

    Also Happy New Year to everyone at GTPlanet and the people who make this site what it is, The Fans

  16. David

    Nice retrospective Jordan! The ‘Year In Review’ of GT5 was a nice refresher, we actually have heard quite a lot of news from PD this year but at each point in time when news came out it always felt like they were holding too much back.

    Oh and Happy New Year, hope the next decade is enjoyable for all of you!

  17. S3 Racer

    Thanks Jordan and GTplanet and all collaborators for their really impressive work. Thanks Sony and PD for putting such an effort into one single game.

    Hoping for a close to march release for europe.

    Happy new year everyone! Party on!

Comments on this post are now closed.

About the Author