The next Gran Turismo game is already off to the races, producer says

By Gabe Gurwin January 30, 2018

Gran Turismo Sport - Opening Trailer | PS4

The PlayStation 4-exclusive racing game Gran Turismo Sport has only been out for a few months, but fans of the series can already rest easy knowing they’ll be getting their hands on another game.

Speaking at the Taipei Game Show, producer Kazunori Yamauchi revealed that he has been working on the successor to Gran Turismo Sport since the game launched.

Yamauchi clarified that he isn’t sure the next game will be called Gran Turismo 7, but that options for those looking to make fine adjustments to their cars will likely be in the sequel instead of as an update in Sport.

Additionally, Yamauchi hopes to add an age-specific user interface setting to Gran Turismo Sport in order to make the game easier for young kids. This option will not be included in the Gran Turismo Championship in order to preserve fairness — the mode is endorsed by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, which is unprecedented in video games.

Gran Turismo Sport has changed dramatically since its release in October. Initially, the campaign mode was only available to play online, but an offline option was added the following month. Free cars such as the Lamborghini Countach LP400 and Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible were added in December, as well.

Sport also has one advantage over Microsoft’s Forza series and many of its other competitors: Virtual reality support. The game can be played with a PlayStation VR headset, and a bundle containing everything you need to get started is available from Amazon for less than $300. You’ll want to act quickly if you’re interested in purchasing one, as the bundle has been discontinued.

In our review, we praised Gran Turismo Sport for its beautiful visuals and online options, but we took issue with its limited roster of cars and maps. The series, once the premier racing simulator on the market, has often been overshadowed by the Forza Motorsport and Forza Horizon games over the last generation. Perhaps the next installment will be able to put the franchise back on top, but with the improvements made to Gran Turismo Sport over the last few months, it’s still a great option.

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Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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