While years typically lapse between numbered installments of the Gran Turismo series, developer Polyphony has kept fans busy by releasing various "half-games." This started with the Gran Turismo Concept series on the PS2, followed by Gran Turismo 4 Prologue. Gran Turismo HD Concept for the PS3 was the first of these "half-games" to be readily available in North America, but the free demo was small on content having only 10 cars and a single track.
Despite SCEA's stinginess in releasing these Gran Turismo "half-games" in the past, they relented for Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, making it the first game of its sort to see retail release in North America. The title's lower-than-average price point, combined with fans' hunger for a new Gran Turismo game, has made it a success right off the starting line. Extra features have also hinted at the ambitions of the full Gran Turismo 5 and validated the game as more than simply a long demo.
We talked with Stephanie Yoshimoto, Senior Product Marketing Manager at SCEA, and discussed the value of Gran Turismo 5: Prologue.
Only this generation could $39.99 be a budget price point
According to the NPD, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue was the sixth best selling game for the April period. This made the racing title the second best selling PS3 game during that same period. Overall, the NPD tally showed 224,000 copies sold in U.S. retail stores.
"When we have worldwide auto manufacturers wanting to pay us to showcase their products, we know we're doing something right."
"Yes, SCEA was very pleased with sell-through of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue in North America, especially considering that this was our first 'Prologue' release here," detailed Yoshimoto. "Also, PSN sales are not reflected in this number. I think Gran Turismo 5 Prologue attracted more gamers primarily because it was the first release of Gran Turismo on the PlayStation 3. In addition, its $39.99 price point was a strong value proposition to gamers that helped drive sales."
It's worth noting that despite the game's sales success, its primary purpose is just to sate the appetites of hardcore Gran Turismo fans. Polyphony's website shows Gran Turismo 5 Prologue shipped 550,000 units in North America, 300,000 in Asia and Japan and a whopping 1,380,000 in Europe. If previous Prologue sales are any indication, expect the full Gran Turismo 5 to sell double if not triple what Gran Turismo 5 Prologue did in certain territories.
"I don't think that these NPD sales fully represent the true anticipation for Gran Turismo 5," said Yoshimoto frankly. "GT5 will have a much larger overall scope that will inherently attract a larger, mass market audience."
I want my GT-TV
The Gran Turismo series has generally been known for two things: an excruciatingly detailed racing experience and meticulously rendered car models. While the former is likely only receiving a tweak given that it's hard to improve on handling already close to real life in previous versions, the latter has been boosted significantly from any previous entry in the series. Normally, it wouldn't be worth harping this much on the graphics, but the cars look incredible and better than perhaps any other racing game we've ever seen.
"The graphics of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue's cars is certainly one of the features attributable to the power of the PlayStation 3," beamed Yoshimoto. "GT5 Prologue cars are, hands down, the most realistic looking and handling cars of any racing video game available, and this certainly couldn't have been done without the bandwidth of the PS3 hardware. When we have worldwide auto manufacturers wanting to pay us to showcase their products, we know we're doing something right."
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