Release Date

SCEA has announced the release date for KAZ: Pushing the Virtual Divide, a documentary about the history of Gran Turismo and its creator, Kazunori Yamauchi. The film will be released on January 22, 2014 via web streaming service, Hulu.

A Russian gaming site raised eyebrows yesterday when it claimed to have a copy of a message from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe sent to Russian retailers. Via Google Translator:

Our friends down under finally have an official release date for Gran Turismo 5: November 4, 2010, as confirmed by this press release from Sony. If you know you want the Signature Edition, be sure and reserve your copy now at a local retailer such as GAME Australia or EBGames.

French gaming site JVN noticed a recent update to Gran Turismo 5’s product information on Sony Computer Entertainment France‘s press site: it shows a release date of November 24, 2010. The website requires French media credentials for access, but GTPlanet Forum user jujub was able to independently confirm the news by sharing the screenshot that you see above. As many of you know, the November 2nd release date for the United States was announced E3 2010, but Sony has been quiet on specifics for other regions – most notably Europe. Until an official statement is made (most likely at at Gamescom 2010 in Germany, August 18th), this is our most reliable indication of the company’s plans.

Just announced at Sony’s E3 2010 Press Conference! Mark your calendar!

You’ve probably seen Sony’s recent marketing campaigns featuring “vice president” Kevin Butler (played by actor Jerry Lambert) talking about the company’s latest first-party titles. His most recent clip focuses on Sony’s latest kart racing game Mod Nation Racers, but at the end he mentions his “next project – let’s just say it’s a little racing game that rhymes with ‘man furismo jive'” with a knowing look – understandably raising quite a few eyebrows in our forums and around the web.

One of the more unpleasant surprises we’ve had waiting for Gran Turismo 5 was the unexpected postponement of the game’s March 2010 Japanese release. It was a quiet announcement, but set a somber tone at the beginning of the year for us eager fans. Since that time, we have not received any sort of information on exactly why that happened – until now. In an excellent interviewwith Dean Gibson of AutoExpress last weekend, Yamauchi-san clarified things a little bit: