It’s official. The next generation of Gran Turismo has a release date, and it’s only a few months away.
Sony has confirmed that Gran Turismo Sport is releasing on PS4 this October 18th. The news comes after more than a year of delays, arriving four years into the PS4 generation.
Developer Polyphony Digital revealed that there will be five editions of the game available at launch, consisting of a collector’s, steelbook, day one, and two digital editions. PlayStation VR support will be provided as part of the base game.
Below is the retail box art for the standard edition:
A brief trailer accompanied the announcement, which showcases the game’s visual fidelity along with its wide library of racing disciplines, as seen below:
Although Gran Turismo Sport will feature a traditional Campaign mode, the focus this time around is on multiplayer. The all-new Sports Mode is intended to emulate the thrill of real-world racing, with players representing their nation of origin and favorite car manufacturers in an environment that scales organically to match the skill level of the player. A majority portion of development was spent on this, intended to take advantage of the popularity of the weekly and seasonal racing event structure offered in Gran Turismo 5 and 6.
Actually, Sports Mode was originally going to dominate the game’s content offerings. That was, until it received negative player feedback in 2016. Developer Polyphony Digital quickly assembled as much single-player content as possible to ensure that the release wouldn’t be abrasive for fans of the franchise, resulting in a lengthy release delay.
Gran Turismo Sport was a hot spectacle at this year’s E3, earning attention for its graphics and improved physics engine. Its PSVR support has been considered underwhelming by many, and its lack of dynamic weather or time of day have been sore spots, but this is without a doubt a Gran Turismo game, one with a phenomenal attention to detail that many fans find irreplaceable.
