Take a look in the rearview at how Sony’s flagship automotive franchise changed the way we drive digital cars forever.
Driving a car has been a popular game activity almost since the dawn of the medium—mechanical versions were in use in British amusement arcades in the 1930s, and in the early 70s, Atari founder Nolan Bushnell contemplated making a driving game before Pong. Starting from primitive examples, such as 1972’s Wipeout for the Magnavox Odyssey, the video-game-driving genre has become one of the most technically sophisticated and immersive in gaming. And 25 years ago, one of the most influential racing games helped make that possible: Gran Turismo was released on December 23, 1997.
Building the Dream Game
When Sony was preparing to launch the PlayStation game console, the company knew it would have to represent the major genres in gaming right off the bat. Racing was a priority, so Sony devoted an internal team to creating Motor Toon Grand Prix, a kart racer that was overshadowed by Namco’s more realistic Ridge Racer. MTGP got a sequel, and both of them sold well, which enabled the developers to make a big move.
Team leader Kazunori “Kaz” Yamauchi had been working on a passion project during his time at Sony, and in 1992, he started work in earnest. Now in charge of an internal development studio dubbed “Polys,” Yamauchi knew he could create a racing title that would surpass all competitors. Working with a small team, sometimes as few as five people, he began laying the foundation for what would become Gran Turismo.
Kaz threw himself into his task with manic abandon, sleeping almost every night in the office as he painstakingly tweaked the simulation to get closer to reality. While previous racing games were often clumsy approximations of the real thing, Gran Turismo would give the player a massive virtual garage with over 175 cars, all of which handled like their real-world counterparts. While the driving was pitch-perfect, the little details really sold Gran Turismo. Windows reflected the track for the first time. Tires had different grips. Braking and turning were complex dances of timing and precision, and new drivers needed to adjust to the reality of a simulation like nothing they’d played before.
Even after five years of development, Yamauchi wasn’t completely satisfied with Gran Turismo. He thought the sound design wasn’t up to par, and the AI didn’t perform as realistically as he wanted.
