I take no pleasure in saying, "I told you so," but I did. On Tuesday morning, Sony announced the Gran Turismo Sport release date is delayed to 2017. The news, via PlayStation Blog US, came just a week ahead of Sony's anticipated PlayStation meeting on Sept. 7.
For Polyphony Digital founder Kazunori Yamauchi, Gran Turismo Sport is not only the first GT title on the PlayStation 4, it also represents the most ambitious game in the franchise yet. Kazunori explained that more development time will be necessary to make sure the game reaches a high level of quality:
"As we approach our planned release date in November, we realise we need more time to perfect GT Sport, to which we’ve already dedicated so much effort to since announcing the title and do not want to compromise the experience. While we cannot confirm a new release date at this time, we are more committed than ever to making GT Sport the best Gran Turismo game to date.”
There's no denying Polyphony's ambitious goals for Gran Turismo Sport. The title will present completely redesigned physics, rendering and sound simulation. New features like Scapes Photo Mode pushes the envelope in photorealism. Finally, GT Sport's FIA-spec online racing series offers a "competitive gaming experience to truly reinvent what it means to be a racing game." What's more, Kazunori also hinted at other cutting-edge experiences within GT Sport that have yet to be revealed. However, what those are is anyone's guess.
Over the summer, Sony repeatedly insisted GT Sport is on schedule for its Nov. 15 release date. The Gran Turismo event in London certainly convinced us that everything was going well.
However, doubts regarding GT Sport's development schedule arose as early as March, when journalist Cyril Drevet of French gaming site Gameblog.fr reported the release date was "complicated" because "something" failed to meet a supposed March deadline.
Stay tuned, as we expect to hear the latest about Gran Turismo Sport at the upcoming PlayStation Meeting on Sept. 7. Are you angry about the Gran Turismo Sport delay? Or would you rather have a great game that's late than a shitty game that's on time? Let us know in the comments below!
