Kazunori Yamauchi, head of the PlayStation license, reflects on his role and the future of simracing in video games.
Gran Turismo is a saga with more than 80 million units sold worldwide. Emblem of PlayStation, the saga now faces a moment marked by the greatest approach ever seen in the license to electronic sports with Gran Turismo Sport, a decision that sacrificed part of the traditional elements for a single player. Kazunori Yamauchi, father of the IP, has reflected on the saga in Motorsport, one that was born there in 1997.
“It's not easy to create something that is seen as the standard to follow”
Because there have been six numbered deliveries and several spin-offs, but every lover of simcade on consoles knows that the role of the brand will be vital in the life cycle of a PlayStation 5 that already appears on the horizon. Polyphony Digital, a study in charge of Gran Turismo with Yamauchi at the helm, believes that simracing has changed the perception of motoring in society.
Lewis Hamilton and Kazunori Yamauchi, in an esport event of Gran Turismo Sport | Getty Images
“For example, how many friends did you have at school that competed in go-karts? Very few. But there are millions of people in the world playing Gran Turismo. They learn the real driving techniques and how a real car behaves. Every night they are competing in strategic races against others. Of course, I think some of them will enter the real motorsport as they grow, ”he says, especially in relation to the already established multiplayer mode of Gran Turismo Sport, also immersed in a professional circuit promoted by Sony internationally.
From 1997 to this part have passed not only many years, but also many other sagas that have remained on the road; except, especially, from Forza Motorsport, the Microsoft solution.
Gran Turismo Sport | Polyphony Digital
“It is not easy to create something that is seen as the standard to follow. It is not something that is believed by magic, and I think we were lucky when we started working at Gran Turismo. But when you do it and create something very creative, seeing it from the future becomes ordinary and standard, ”he says. And he adds: “It's like the Beatles. They created pop music, popular music and now we consider pop music normal. But if they hadn't existed, maybe we wouldn't have pop music. ”
The future of Gran Turismo is now unknown (although they work in a new game of the saga), but linking the saga to the online side is something that has come to stay. Compete, with people from all over the world; from your home, where the only language to speak is that of four-wheel drive. "That's why I created Gran Turismo Sport, where you can compete for years for the cost of what a wheelset would be worth."
In this article, from FreeGameTips we review the evolution that Gran Turismo Sport has experienced since its launch; A kind of metamorphosis.
