Gran Turismo Sport Announced

The wait is finally over, Gran Turismo has officially been announced for PlayStation 4. Gran Turismo Sport will be the seventh entry into the mainline Gran Turismo series. It will launch as a beta in early 2016. The news of beta testing gives us the impression that this Gran Turismo will be a re-imagining of sorts for the franchise. It’s no surprise that such a huge announcement was made at the Paris Games Week conference. Paris is the birthplace of motorsport, and the Gran Turismo franchise has always been most popular in Europe.

Polyphony Digital have partnered with the FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) in a big way with this title. In game there will be two FIA sanctioned tournaments running annually. The Nations Cup, where players will be able to represent their own country, and the Manufacturers Cup, where players will represent their favourite car manufacturer.

The winners of these championships will be awarded prizes alongside real life motoring champions at the FIA prize giving ceremony in December. This means that Gran Turismo Sport is considered an officially recognized part of the motoring world. A first for a video game, and a momentous event in the games industry. With e-Sports becoming bigger and bigger, it was only a matter of time until something like this happened. It makes you wonder, could we see other partnerships like this crop up in other genres? Only time will tell.

According to the PS Blog the game won’t focus solely on the online aspect of things. We hope this means that all the usual features and modes you have come to love from the franchise remain. Let’s face it, would it really be the same without all those licence tests?

The beta will begin in early 2016, so you won’t have to wait much longer to scratch that Gran Turismo itch.

Andrew Brennan
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