GT5 Prologue confirmed for Blu-ray

At the Leipzig Games Convention earlier this month, Gran Turismo fans received a few morsels about the next installment in Sony's renowned racing series. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president David Reeves confirmed that Gran Turismo 5 would be released in 2008, while franchise creator Kazunori Yamauchi told attendees that the downloadable prequel appetizer to his next full offering--Gran Turismo 5 Prologue--would be available for free.

Today SCEE added another bit of information on its Prologue release plans, announcing that the game would be available in Europe as a download or on a Blu-ray disc. SCEE promised that Prologue would be available by the end of the year, with the full Gran Turismo 5 arriving in 2008. No pricing was announced for the Blu-ray edition.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will be the first time the franchise gives gamers the chance to race against one another online. Prologue will also feature more than 40 cars, tracks with reverse and alternate routes, and Gran Turismo TV, an online video channel for the PlayStation Network.

As of press time, representatives with SCEE and Sony Computer Entertainment America had not responded to GameSpot's request for clarification on the pricing and distribution of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.