3-and-a-half Minutes with Polyphony Digital’s Kazunori Yamauchi

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Towards the end of E3, at the end of the next-to-last day, I got a call from SCEA San Diego colleague Scott Goryl. “Wanna talk to Kazunori?” he asked. Chris and I ran from the LA Convention Center to the hotel suite, where I was able to jump in at the end of a long day of interviews with the producer of the Gran Turismo series. How much time did I get? Enough to ask 4 questions.

Now I’ve been sitting on this interview for about a month because I wanted you to be able to get some questions answered as well. So now that you’ve seen the trailer and you know a few details (800+ cars!), what do you want to know about Gran Turismo PSP? The game’s US producers will reply in a future post.

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143 Comments

2 Author Replies

  • gt5 release date??

  • Kazunori Yamauchi himself, very kool.

  • yeah hopefully this year he did say before that he could release it anytime time but just keeps putting more stuff in it!

  • Note to Jeff: Kill SilentW23(‘s post…)

    That’s seriously some amazing work put into a PSP title. It seems like a lot of PSP releases are “phoned in” (some less than others and some are equally impressive but still). Unfortunately, with the PSP as my only form of entertainment for who knows how long and my relationship with racing games (something usually gets broken) I’m afraid I can’t be counted among those lucky enough to enjoy this. :(

  • That was awesome i would have been very excited as well if i were doing the interview though I am not sure that I would be able to keep cool at all hahaha.

  • Will their be some of the same cars that where in GT5P be in GT PSP and GT5? and will we get to see some 2010 models of cars? All I care about is having a Dodge Viper (Don’t care year or model) but a 2010 Viper would be nice to see in the games.

  • Wow…

    He’s cool.

    TopGear yesterday was amazing. That rally and motorcross race on an airfield.

    That is some amazing television right there, but it still surprises me, quite how popular it is internationally.

  • I truly believe that GT5 is going to be a work or art and beauty. If you think about it, all Poly does is work on this series. They are pure perfectionist. I just keep hearing more and more, and I think when GT5 comes out it will set the bar for all other realistic racers. Here is hoping to a high end steering wheel bundle.

  • he looklike a nice guy to meet :)

  • That is a great interview Jeff. I was hoping for more information about GT5, ie release date or how car damage would be handled. They have taken so long on this title that if car damage is not included other than Rallye cars in the dirt then there will be many disappointed fans of the series. If the title is to be “The Real Driving Simulator” then at some time crash damage has to happen, it is the ultimate penalty system!!!

  • Will Gran Turismo PSP have infrastructure play? Will it support DLC?

  • GT PSP looks awesome and I’m sold on the little beauty, still waiting for GT5. I know it’s gonna be amazing!

  • what nice guy..i cant wait for both games.

  • It’s a shame that the now famous “translator guy” wasn’t in this video, even though he probably sat in the chair right off screen. We can only got to see his mighty pen. ;-) It even was his voice dubbed in if I’m not mistaken.

  • ThreeLeggedFreak

    Gran Turismo 5, I need it NAO.

    Jeff, please confirm Lamborghinis, Bugattis and Porsches will be in GT5.

    • Jeff Rubenstein

      We\’ll have the Producers on the blog looking at these questions and composing a new post with answers in the coming weeks.

  • very good interview. just wish we had more details for the PS3 version of GT5. i think GT-PSP my make me use my PSP more then i already do.

  • Cmon fellas… GT5 Prologue update? Eh, eh? Custom soundtracks? Maybe trophies, a lobby system? Screenshot function?

  • oh man just lil news about Gran Turismo 5

    i love this game matter fact is my 1st game ever in playstation 1.

    cant w8 for the 5th one hoping to see it this year.

    can we have another one jeff?

    i want to know how many cars, races and learn more about the online

  • Is GT5 prologue over? no more updates? A GT5 date is all we need to know.

    Anyway, will you be able to hook up a dualshock 3 and play it that way?

  • Was that the same translator from E3 speaking? And if so, did he have his notepad?

    Anyway.. can’t wait for both GT PSP and GT5!

  • YEAH GT FTW!

  • Good thing you guys didn’t have the E3 translator.

  • OMG is that Translator San?? dude you ROCK!!

  • nvm…

    I wish you could edit comments in PS Blog…

  • oh god release date PLEASE for GT5

  • We’ve been hearing about Grand Turismo for eons. GT5 doesn’t exist. It’s the Duke Nukem of racing.

  • Really, most comments here so far are about GT5, instead of the PSP version. Shows what your consumer base wants eh.
    More information about GT5!

  • Nice Uncharted 2 Shirt Jeff
    Great Interview looking Forward to GT5

  • GT is so successful because of the heart that Polyphony puts into their games. I’m really jealous that you get to shake his hand Jeff.

    Also: I have that shirt! Well, it’s in the mail; but I’ll have it soon (hopefully).

  • @ 20 (Jeff)

    Haha. Nice! So what was he actually doing on his notepad?

  • ThreeLeggedFreak

    The notepad translator is a legend, a legend I say.

    Thanks for answering my question Jeff, hopefully we’ll get confirmations soon.

    @27
    I also want Gran Turismo Mobile….it looks beastly, hopefully they’ll release the track and car list for it soon, it’s only a couple of months away

  • i have a few questions:

    1. Will Damage be in all Cars other than the NASCAR, WRC cars?

    2.Speaking of NASCAR and WRC, will we be able to play a championship mode with these 2 leauges? will there be real life race rules when playing these leagues?

    3. Will GT5 have other real leagues like F1 or IRL?

    4. How many tracks are there in the game, and how many of them are based on real world Tracks? and how many of them are rally based as well?

    5. will the Le Mans Track be featured in this game?

    6. will there be a dynamic weather system, will it change in real time?

    7. How different will the Online mode be compared to GT5p? what features are there in the online mode? how will the GT community interact with it?

    8. will there be DLC for the game, such as Tracks and Cars, and of course the VOD that was featured in GT5p?

  • GT5:
    online racing?
    car damage? just visual or actual?
    release date?

    GTPSP:
    car damage?
    online racing?
    actual gameplay footage?

  • My Questions above are GT5 questions.

  • here one final question:

    1. Will there be interactivity be GT PSP and GT5? if so, how will they interact with each other?

  • Jeff Watches Top Gear? Awesome. He’s also my new hero. Have you seen season 13 yet?

  • -Will we see Porche, Lamborghini in the psp version?
    -Does the GTMobile game interact with an upcoming GT Home space, if so in what way?

  • Thanks for the interview and nice shirt. It would be cool to see translator san again with his notepad. :D

  • What kinds of things can we expect out of GT PSP and GT5. Will there be a reason to buy and actively play both at the same time?

  • Jeff I have determined that it is your mission in life to bring us a live Q&A with PD in the near-ish future. Anyways thanks for the interview.

    I did not know you were a fan of Top Gear :). I got my whole school hooked on that show. I think I have watched every episode at least twice. I love when Clarkson is driving the GTR and he actually hurts his neck because it corners so hard.

    Some say that he loves Uncharted 2 and that he has a chronic fear of ducks, while others believe he has no understanding of the concept of stairs… all we know is he’s called The Jeff Rubinstein.

  • You can actually see the translator’s notepad in one of the shots!

    This is awesome. Jeff, you should get that translator’s autograph next time you see him. He’s interweb-famous!

  • if you could get any questions answered on the following…

    -porches, lambos, bugattis included?
    -home integration
    -trophies
    -better online than gt5p
    -dlc
    -car damage

    and finally…a fecking release date

  • ThreeLeggedFreak

    @33
    GT5 – Online racing is obvious, we just need to know the details of it
    GTM has plenty of gameplay videos out there, no damage, ad hoc up to 4 players, not sure about online.

    @35
    I think they have mentioned you’ll be able to transfer cars you have earned from GT5 to GT PSP and vice versa.

  • i don’t have a question , but rather a Small request, PLEASE put the Original sountrack on the US version instead of licensed Radio Pop songs.

    Moon over the castle (GT 2 Version) is one of my favorite songs of all time.

  • very impressive to fit a full scale gt game on the psp! it looks awesome! if they can make a game like this on the psp i cant even imagine how insane gt5 will be when it finally comes out!

  • GT for the PSP is probably my next game purchase… i know, i dont buy too many PSP games, but just cant afford many right now… but love the series since the beginning.. still have all the games, although GT4 doesnt work in either my PS2 or PS3.. freezes up every time i try to play it.. disk looks fine, so i dont get it… but still, the series has been great… cant wait for the next versions… tho, i wonder how GT5 Prologue is going to relate to GT5… those of us who bought it, is it just basically its only thing, basically somewhat of a future look at how GT5 will be..? and we’ll have to pick up an entirely new, full-priced game once GT5 comes out..?
    anyway, cant wait… good interview, despite its brevity..

  • Oh, I forgot one last thing. If you really want to send something truly useful to PD tell them to read the Gran Turismo board in the Official US PS Forums. As well as the forums at GTPlanet.net. They are two of the most active and engaged GT communities on the net and I believe that PD would greatly benefit looking at some of the suggestions there, if they do not already.

    As far as my questions I will keep things simple…
    Lamborghini Y/N
    Porsche Y/N
    Livery Editor in ANY form Y/N
    Damage to all cars Y/N
    Or just to race cars Y/N
    Private rooms for online play Y/N
    Weather Y/N
    Variable/dynamic times of day Y/N

    That should take all of about 10 seconds to answer.

  • I don’t think I can tell you how much I love Gran Turismo and I am so hyped about GT PSP and GT5.

    Jeff, you had a cheeky smile when you said Gran Turismo 5 there. When’s it coming out!? :P

  • -will GT Mobile have access to GT:TV ?

  • sorry this really doesn’t belong here, but Jeff I have a huge problem.

    when i visit the blog from my ps3, the posts that were made yesterday and today are not showing up on my ps3 browser. i must go to a pc in order to view the blog. please fix this, because i like viewing the blog from my ps3. i’m not sure if other people are having the same problems, but i sure am.

    THANKS JEFF FOR ALL YOUR WORK!

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