The Evolution Of Racing Simulation

Gran Turismo is a series of car racing simulation games created over two decades ago. The game acts as a sandbox allowing players to discover experiences by themselves freely.  

The game was developed for PlayStation to emulate the appearance and performance of various cars. It’s the best-selling video game series under the PlayStation brand, and the cars used are licensed reproductions of real-world automobiles. 

Read on to learn more about the Gran Turismo series, its history, prospects, and licensed products.  

The History of Racing Simulation: The Past, Present and Future Outlook 

The developer, Kazunori Yamauchi, got the inspiration to create the Gran Turismo series from the rich automobile culture prevalent in the 20th century. The series was developed to appeal to people’s allure of vehicles. Players without knowledge about cars could still find pleasure in tuning, designing, owning, and controlling them. 

The development of the GT Academy began when developers wondered whether great Turismo drivers could be nurtured into real-world race car drivers. This prompted GT Academy and Nissan to hold their first academy in 2008. Since then, they’ve nurtured various professional race car drivers, thus pushing the boundaries of motorsport tradition and common sense. 

The Gran Turismo series has come a long way since its initial launch; the series has launched the GT7 on PS5. This new product features various technological innovations like amazing graphics with ray tracing, a DualSense controller with adaptive triggers, tree-dimensional audio, and unprecedented speeds. All these features will allow players to experience a level of realism they’ve yet to experience.  

The brand is looking towards redefining the motorsport industry. In 2018, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) partnered with 2018 to introduce new motorsport. event, The FIA Gran Turismo Championship.  

The esports tournaments are usually handled by Polyphony digital, and brands such as Genesis, Toyota, Mazda, Michelin, etc., have partnered with them over the years to make the series a success.  Players usually receive plaques for their participation in live events, and those in the top 3 positions at the end of the year receive a trophy in addition to the plaque.  

Grand Turismo also has a vision project which started as a project to celebrate the series’s 15th anniversary. The project brings together the car companies and players’ automobile passions as it challenges players to develop their renditions of the perfect Grand Turismo (GT). The project will continue growing in popularity as more players continue sampling these unique cars. 

The brand has also ventured into Artificial Technology through its partnership with SIE (Sony Interactive Entertainment), PDI (Polyphony Digital), and Sony AI to develop a superhuman racing agent, GT Sophy (Gran Turismo Sophy). GT Sophy was designed to elevate players’ gaming experience by competing against them.  

GT’s official licensed products

• THRUSTMASTER T300RS: This new steering controller is compatible with GT 6, PC, PlayStation®4, and PlayStation®3. 
• Gran Turismo DD Pro: This is GT’s official Direct Drive Wheel, which, combined with PlayStation®5, offers the most dynamic and smoothest force feedback sensations. 

Grand Turismo’s collection of renowned, rare, and production model cars has contributed to the company’s success. As they venture into the future and explore the use of artificial intelligence in the automotive industry, it’s no doubt that the brand will remain a household name for years to come.