With Duke Nukem Forever looking like it might finally get released, the gaming industry clearly needs another Game That Will Never Come Out Ever™. Polyphony Digital seem more than happy for that game to be Gran Turismo 5, as the game has been hit with yet another delay.
“Creator Kazunori Yamauchi and the team at Polyphony Digital want to make certain they are creating the perfect racing experience,” said a Sony representative. “We are confident that this ambitious game will exceed expectations when it launches.”
The game was on display at the recent Eurogamer Expo and was looking like it was mostly finished. But the 3DTV mode had a noticeably detrimental effect on the graphics, and the 3D effect itself was rather unconvincing. The 2D setups with full cockpits, steering wheels and pedals were popular, though. And those who had the chance to play had positive things to say about the game’s realistic handling in the street, circuit and rally racing environments on display.
Speaking with Reuters, Sony spokesperson Satoshi Fukuoka blamed the delay on “production difficulties”, but didn’t go into any further detail.
Game creator Kaz Yamauchi is a little more forthcoming, though, and has been speaking up to fans on Twitter. For those who can’t read the information on that page that doesn’t say “WE LOVE CARS” repeatedly, one of Yamauchi’s tweets read “Apologies for the delay. It’s because time and labor were spent ironing the kinks out of the game’s complex system. I’m really sorry. Everyone, it’s inexcusable… Wait a little longer.”
Yamauchi does seem to be genuinely sorry about the game’s delay. But how much longer are fans likely to wait? With a new Forza game tipped for arrival soon and Forza 3 already having a very well-established fan-base, it’s easy to wonder whether GT fans will start jumping ship to the Xbox and Turn 10′s franchise.
Gran Turismo 5 was originally slated to arrive in March 2010 in Japan, then delayed until November 2. It’s now clear that the game is not going to make this release date, either. Sony would not clarify exactly when the game will finally emerge save “the holiday season”. Given that the “holiday season” in Japan lasts until early January, this means that it’s entirely possible GT5 will miss the Christmas rush. This would be unfortunate not only for the game’s sales, but for the PS3 platform as a whole. Sony are doubtless counting on GT5 to be a title that moves consoles.
Will it happen? Will we ever see this damn game? Sony are being very tight-lipped about the whole thing. Watch this space for further information as it happens.
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