Why Gran Turismo 6 on PlayStation 3 Makes Sense Let’s tie up the knots.

Gran Turismo is undoubtedly the most popular PlayStation franchise that Sony Computer Entertainment currently owns. It’s a complete game changer, as it ships systems, and moves units like hotcakes. To get an understanding of just how popular the series is, Gran Turismo 5 sold over 9 million copies on the Playstation 3. This makes it the highest selling game on the system and adds to the franchise’s tally of over 68 million units sold to date. To put it simply, a lot of people love GT to death.
In the last couple of months, several rumors and listings have popped around the web pointing towards the fact that the next iteration in the franchise, GT6, is arriving exclusively on the PS3 this November. These rumors have spurred a lot of debate within the industry where lots of people are questioning why the game would come out on the PS3 and not the PS4. In order for us to properly understand the reasoning behind having GT6 on the PS3, let’s examine and tie together all the facts at hand.

Development Timing 

We knew about Gran Turismo 6 for quite a while now. Back in 2010, series creator Kazunori Yamauchi told IGN in an interview that they’re already working on the next iteration in the GT franchise. If development on GT6 did indeed start in 2010, then it makes perfect sense for the game to be targeted for the PlayStation 3 and not the PlayStation 4. Furthermore, Polyphony Digital is well known for notoriously lengthy development periods. The studio’s strive to ensure that the quality of its games are at its highest is one of main reasons as to why development time is so lengthy. If we add that into the equation, then it would make shifting a project from the PS3’s Cell-architecture to the PS4’s x86-64 PC-like architecture a complete nightmare. Not only will the team have to heavily modify an engine specifically made to run on the PS3 over to the PS4, but it would take forever to ensure that the game’s quality is not compromised on the new system. This in turn would require time, effort, and resources which would greatly increase the costs associated with the project. It would therefore make sense that Sony would rather have Polyphony finish up a polished product on the PS3 and then shift development resources to creating a new game supported by a new engine specifically made for the PS4 from the ground up.

Exploiting the massive PlayStation 3 install base

 
When GT6 does come out, there will be plenty of PS3s out there in the hands of consumers. The install base for the system currently stands above 77 million units which means that Sony can count on the game selling significantly well, as its predecessors did. The fact that Sony doesn’t have to deal with increased costs to accommodate a PS4 version of the game makes the prospect of GT6 on the PS3 all that more realistic. Not only will Sony benefit from the current install base of the PS3, but Sony can bundle the game with the system at a low cost to attract consumers who have yet to own a PS3. This would make way for capturing a new portion of the market alongside selling a lot of PS3s at a relatively high profit margin.

Avoiding software collision & confusion

The announcement of Drive Club, during the PlayStation 4 unveiling event back in February, cemented the idea that GT6 would release on the PS3 while Drive Club would be releasing on or sometime near the PS4’s launch. Sony doesn’t want competition or confusion to be brought in by releasing two first-party racing titles on their new system within the same time period. This would cause sales of both games to take a hit, as most consumers will choose one of the games over the other because of their stylistic similarities. The true casualty from such a move will be Drive Club, as it’s a new IP that needs the initial space to establish itself in the market. Releasing the mammoth that is GT6 alongside it would overshadow it, and end up truly hurting the future of the new IP from Evolution Studios.

 

While the move to put GT6 solely on the PS3 caused a lot of head scratching at first, it ultimately makes sense if we tie up everything we know together. The fact that the game has been in development since early 2010 means that Polyphony Digital was already knee-deep in development. Shifting resources mid-way would most definitely push the game’s release further back. Furthermore, by showcasing Drive Club for the PS4, Sony has all but officially confirmed that GT6 would indeed be a PS3-only title. 
Sony is all set to reveal Gran Turismo's future in a special event on May 15. Keep your cars parked at IGN as we bring you extensive coverage from the show.