Gran Turismo Series Ships 50 Million Units Worldwide

Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that it has shipped over 50 million units of its Gran Turismo racing simulation series worldwide for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 since the franchise’s first entry in December 1997. The company reached this shipment figure in just ten years and four months, beginning with the original Gran Turismo for the PlayStation to the series’ seventh installment, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, which debuted in North America in April 17, 2008 and has shipped 2 million units worldwide already. Developed by series developer Polyphony Digital and created as a preview to Gran Turismo 5, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue for PlayStation 3 introduces to the series online races for up to 16 players, an in-game online channel which delivers automotive video content, and downloadable courses and cars. Said Gran Turismo series producer Kazunori Yamauchi: "Initially, Gran Turismo was an 'alternative' racing game, kind of an outsider in the genre. And we made it thinking that it would be okay as long as it reached out to 'the select few who would agree with us.' So this figure -- 50 million units -- is simply astounding. If you go to a game store and look for a particular package, and pay for it at the cash register, though the time may be very brief, it still takes at least 3 minutes or so. It's simply mind boggling and hard to believe that this has been repeated 50 million times all around the world in the last 10 years. Yamauchi continues: “I would really like to thank all the fans who have supported the Gran Turismo series over the years, for all their passion and love of the game. We'd like to continue making every effort to create cutting edge, high quality games, so that we don't disappoint anyone's expectations."