Gran Turismo is still an important franchise in video games and motorsport. But with Gran Turismo Sport, even though it’s decent, there is a sizeable number of the fanbase that is not sold with the new direction. GT Sport focused on its online multiplayer, which has spawned the FIA-Certified GT Championships, but there are fans, including the competitors of said event, to the good old days.
Speaking to GTPlanet, series producer Kazunori Yamauchi confirmed that there is a new Gran Turismo game in the works, is happy with what GT Sport has achieved so far, but will also try to bring back the magic from past games.
“I think in terms of races themselves and physics GT Sport has really reached the best place that we’ve ever reached – we’re at a very good place,” he said.
“On the other hand, obviously we’re working on the next Gran Turismo already, and the world of sport we’ve achieved through GT Sport is something I’ve always imagined to be the future of Gran Turismo. We were able to establish that now.”
Thanks to the FIA GTC and GT Tour players, it has rekindled Yamauchi’s interest on past GT games. “I don’t normally play the past editions of Gran Turismo,” he said. “But since I started doing the world tours, the players, they’re all young guys but they all bring GT2 or GT3 with them – like, how old were you when this game came out!? So I’ve had more opportunity to play them recently, and it’s surprising how much I’ve forgotten!”
“Having done all these World Tours, it gave me the opportunity to feel the history of Gran Turismo,” he continues. “It gives me pointers and hints of the things we should make sure that we do in the future of the series.”
Here is a short video on the sidelines of the GT World Tour events as published by GT’s official YouTube channel, where the players huddled around a PS1 and play good old Gran Turismo. You can see Yamauchi bumped in to them, surprised to see them playing the first game from 1997.
With the recent interest to look at past titles, Yamauchi describes that their next game “will be a combination of the past, present and future – a complete form of Gran Turismo.”
And with that, it is also confirmed that the next game will definitely have VR support. The next-gen Playstation is definitely a big upgrade in terms of processing power, and Yamauchi is looking forward to have the new game utilise it to the fullest.
“I don’t think that there’s anything else that requires that much processing power,” he said. “I really like VR; I’m one to believe in the possibilities of it, and it’s very suited for a driving game.”
So, the next GT will bring back the “caRPG” elements from its simulation modes of past and will have a better VR mode? Sounds interesting. Rumours are saying that the next Gran Turismo will be a launch title for the next Playstation, which would be exciting if true. But let’s not get our hopes too high for now.
Source: GTPlanet