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Gran Turismo series sales top 55 million

Polyphony Digital's ultrarealistic racing sim zips past new milestone; Gran Turismo PSP sells 1.8 through December.

Sony showed some life during its October-December fiscal period, reporting a 660.6 percent profit spike on revenues of ¥2.24 trillion ($24.6 billion). As part of that report, Sony said that 47.6 million PlayStation 3 games sold during the three-month stretch, as well as an additional 15 million PSP games and 11.2 PlayStation 2 titles.

Gran Turismo 5's release date remains blurry.

Gran Turismo 5's release date remains blurry.

It turns out that one of Sony's top-performing titles during the period came from its internal racing studio Polyphony Digital. In a recent update to Polyphony Digital's Web site, Sony revealed that the Gran Turismo franchise has sold 55.45 million units through December 2009. Gran Turismo PSP, which launched October 1, 2009, alongside Sony's heavily revised and tepidly adopted PSP Go, contributed 1.8 million units to the franchise's total.

The portable installment in Polyphony's ultrarealistic racing franchise came replete with 800 cars, as well as 35 tracks and 60 different layouts associated with them. Receiving positive reviews, the game features a variety of challenge modes for single-player action as well as local multiplayer racing for up to four.

Through December, Polyphony has seen three of the four marquee releases in its Gran Turismo franchise break the 10-million-unit mark. Gran Turismo 3 A-spec, which received glowing reviews upon its launch for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, ranks as the franchise's top seller with 14.89 million units. 2005's Gran Turismo 4 has sold 10.98 million units, slightly outpacing the seminal installment's 10.85 million units.

One game not on Polyphony's sales rundown is Gran Turismo 5. It was announced for a March launch in Japan in September, but Sony bumped the game out of its current fiscal year last month. Though the publisher has yet to officially attach a new release date to the game, Sony Computer Entertainment Portugal president James Armstrong indicated recently that Gran Turismo 5 is tentatively scheduled to arrive this fall.

Title / First Release / LTD Sales
Gran Turismo / 1997 / 10.85 million
Gran Turismo 2 / 1999 / 9.37 million
Gran Turismo 3 A-spec / 2001 / 14.89 million
Gran Turismo Concept Series / 2002 / 1.56 million
Gran Turismo 4 Prologue / 2003 / 1.35 million
Gran Turismo 4 / 2004 / 10.98 million
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue / 2007 / 4.65 million
Gran Turismo PSP / 2009 / 1.80 million
Total - 55,450

115 Comments

  • killeracer0210

    Posted Feb 26, 2010 8:37 pm GMT

    How ever, I love Gran Turismo, I am glad to see it up to 55 million
    sales.

  • junor69

    Posted Feb 12, 2010 5:36 pm GMT

    Well if GT5 isnt out by mid year i think it will become bigest joke ever in history of GT.

    I love My GT games but it starts to look like a joke so far, bring the game out or cancel it.

    3 year wait is long enought.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • storm_trooper10

    Posted Feb 11, 2010 8:02 am GMT

    At least alot of players are having fun with the current games, it may remain the same with Gt5 when it comes out.

  • frazzle00

    Posted Feb 10, 2010 11:27 am GMT

    I haven't really enjoyed a Gran Tourismo title since GT3. I prefer the car handling/racing in the Forza series, so I honestly couldn't care less when this gets released. And sales figures are not an indicator of quality. Or do people really think The Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, NSync and Lady Gaga are talented ?

  • greasejunky

    Posted Feb 10, 2010 6:04 am GMT

    I think the market has changed significantly since the last Gran Turismo...the psp version looked great and was a bit of a novelty but Prologue really felt antiquated.. with all the advancements in gaming & all the option they need to do more than just res up the cars and add better shaders and unfortunatly that is all I got out of prologue. Just the fact the cars bounces around like a rubber block is enough for me to look elsewhere. I really loved GT4 and have really great memories from the years I played it but it seems it is becoming a dinosaur.

  • FORZA_GT_BOI

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 8:49 pm GMT

    "The portable installment in Polyphony's ultrarealistic racing franchise came replete with 800 cars, as well as 35 tracks and 60 different layouts associated with them. Receiving positive reviews, the game features a variety of challenge modes for single-player action as well as local multiplayer racing for up to four." GTPSP was ok but I don't exatly think that it had a variety of challenging modes because it didn't have a career. Even if it had 800 cars and 35 tracks its not that fun but all the other GT'S are awesome

  • KillerOttsel

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 6:43 pm GMT

    The Gran Turismo franchise has sold that much? Thats pretty amazing.

  • Avenger1324

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 5:47 pm GMT

    6 years on from GT4 and still not even a release date for GT5

  • UltimateRAGEX

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 5:34 pm GMT

    I find it funny how the comments that speaks the truth get lots of thumbs down...

  • CaptainHerlock

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 3:53 pm GMT

    @steelmouth

    Name another 360 exclusive that's sold more than ten million?

    And don't fall into what I call the "gamer logic" trap of "NO! IT WILL BE ONE WAY AND THAT'S IT! IT CAN'T BE ANY WAY ELSE!!!". It's that kind of thinking that gives the gaming community a bad rap.

  • CaptainHerlock

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 3:50 pm GMT

    @TTDog

    "Milking the fanbase" would be releasing a game every year with a new coat of paint, ala Guitar Hero or Call of Duty.


    I will buy Gran Turismo 5 because of these five words;



    The Top Gear Test Track!

  • Lightchaos-20693173927190915074555969291770

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 2:28 pm GMT

    can't wait for GT5!

  • Frankasti

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 2:16 pm GMT

    I wonder why people saying "GT is the best" or something like that are getting thumbs down... My guess is M$ fanboys but I may be wrong ; )

  • Shinob3

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 11:23 am GMT

    Kinda ridiculous that Forza 2 only sold 4.18 m world wide. (according to VGC) Compared to the 4.65 m on GT5P, (which we all know its a glorified demo) one starts to wonder how important branding and loyally to a product is to a company like Sony.

    Personally, I'd be surprised if GT5 won't break 5m worldwide.
    (and reportedly spending $60 million over the course of 5 years. For Kazunori Yamauchi's sake, it better not be a flop)

    In the same sense, GoW might be a good measurement stick in correspondent to how exclusives impacts a company.

  • DarkNeoBahamut

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 11:02 am GMT

    Gran Turismo 5 ForEver (see what I did there?)

  • grasshopper6

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 9:57 am GMT

    good lets hope we get the 5th one sometime soon and not at the end of the year

  • TTDog

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 9:19 am GMT

    Wow... the demo sold 4.65million copies... talk about milking the fanbase.

  • Solid_Snake4RD

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 8:17 am GMT

    @ Illumination77 gtpsp has sold much more than 50k in US.And you really think all the game stores are stupid to keep taking GT4 shipments when they are not selling them.if you follow this practice then you must be a very bad businessman.

    just because the whole of US is mad over Halo and not GT doesn't mean that it doesn't sell.Europe is GT's main ground.doesn't really matter if it does well in US or not,it is gonna sell millions in Europe @vaan10

    That is right plus the Digital download numbers that VGC doesn't track

  • tarikm92f

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 7:57 am GMT

    can't wait for the 5th installment

  • steelmouth

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 7:51 am GMT

    pssssssst hie mr sony

    what interest is this this to us, you know what we all interested in is the release date for GT5

  • StephenBassford

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 7:47 am GMT

    I hope so too.

  • lilmurfer

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 7:46 am GMT

    @StephenBassford. GT5 will continue the GT legacy of awsmness.

  • steelmouth

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 7:45 am GMT

    come'on ps3 fanboys do you honestly think GT5 sales will surpass its predecessors no matter how great it will be, please ,have there been any ps3 exclusive that passed 10 million sales,i think the biggest selling exclusives should he halo 3 and gears of war around 7-8 million so GT5 is going to burn out at 5 mil and that's it

  • Doolum

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 7:38 am GMT

    GT5 please.ASAP

  • StephenBassford

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 7:36 am GMT

    GT5 will make or break the Gran Turismo legacy.

  • Onetwoindo

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 7:24 am GMT

    no matter how much they sold. but in fact this is another fantastic edition for racing fans,,,,hope gt 5 can compete agains forza

  • tranzam383

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 7:23 am GMT

    Guys Sony dosen't need to rush this game out... GT5p has generated over $250,000,000 for PD and so far they have spent about 60,000,000 on development. GT5 has already turned a profit and its not even out yet.

  • vaan10

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 6:26 am GMT

    @Illumination77

    Apparently your numbers aren't correct just look at vgchartz:

    http://www.vgchartz.com/games/game.php?id=39761®ion=All

  • Dj_Strafer

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 5:47 am GMT

    awesome =)

  • fps_d0minat0r

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 5:40 am GMT

    @ Jaggermaster
    their not making a video game, their making a simulator for the mass market which demands it and thats been their aim since the first GT.

    some people wont find it fun as other racers and some will even like games like modnation racers rather than this but you have to understand their different product types and targetted at different audiences even though they are based on cars.

    some people find simulation driving fun, this was never supposed to be an arcade racer which any old gamer could enjoy.

    this game will obvisouly suck if you try to play it thinking its an arcade racer because it just wont play the way you expect it to, it requires way more than accelerator, brake and steering.

  • brian_13un

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 5:33 am GMT

    Can't wait for it

  • brian_13un

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 5:32 am GMT

    Can't wait for it

  • racing1750

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 5:07 am GMT

    Thats great, now release GT5 PD

  • Jaggermaster

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 4:32 am GMT

    @Zerosumgame

    Yes I agree with you from the video's I've seen until now looks very clinical, sterile simulation experience - it doesn't look like a fun game!.

    I think Polyphony have completely forgotten that it's a video game they're making - inane attention to detail isn't going to make any difference if the game play isn't fun and exciting!!

  • Illumination77

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 4:15 am GMT

    didn't gt psp sell only 20k in north america? lol No wonder sonys bleed so much money. shipments of 1.8 million for a demand of 50k? That's very very bad business. Gt4 did NOT sell 10 million. I know it shipped that much because every story in my city that sells video games has 50 copies of it that they've never been able to sell but because the store bought it and not customers that makes it as big as halo right? YOu know, a game that ships 10 million because it sells 10 million to actualy customers not just having 5+ million copies collecting dust on store shelves forever.

  • Ev-the-Nev

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 4:09 am GMT

    ROLL ON ............ eh wait, when we getting it again? = (

  • -HCMF-

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 3:57 am GMT

    just imagine what they could be if they put out a full game on time....

  • TevoxZi

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 3:38 am GMT

    @monson21502
    You really think all those 60 dollars of a single copy of the game end up to the developers' hands?

  • coldsauce09

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 2:46 am GMT

    GT5 best simulator!

  • Zerosumgame

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 2:20 am GMT

    Lots of people are jealous of GT's success and Forza was an attempt to actualize the denial, unfortunately again and again it is proven to be completely useless. GT is serious, fun and challenging, look at the PSP version, WHO THE F$%K can challenge it? NO BODY, STFU and fold man, yes, you, I am talking to you.

  • Bashers79

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 1:46 am GMT

    @brendanhunt1 May be because with out car damage there is no incentive to drive like you would in a real race i.e. not crash into other cars to gain an advantage, watch your speed going into a corners so you don't crash, things like that. You can't claim it to be a realistic racing game if, the cars don't react to damage and the stresses of the race track, in the same way they would in real life. It would like saying Halo 3 is a realistic shooter sim.

  • Bashers79

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 1:38 am GMT

    @Onetwoindo I'd like to play GT5 but I can't, because it hasn't been released yet!

  • junor69

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 12:50 am GMT

    ok im 30 now lets hope i get to play GT5 by the time im 80 i just dont think i be that luckey

  • zidan4000

    Posted Feb 9, 2010 12:34 am GMT

    ok , now i see no reason for them to push GT5 further this year , let them release it already and push that number 10 million units ahead

  • Kenrocc

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 11:57 pm GMT

    this is going to be a console mover for sure

  • Onetwoindo

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 11:41 pm GMT

    screw with forza just play gt5 if you want to play the real driving simulator..

  • bukkookkub

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 10:38 pm GMT

    I think it was meant as a decimal point, not a comma

  • monson21502

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 9:47 pm GMT

    well i think someone already has plans to give away 1 million bucks in mlb 2k10. the first person to pitch a perfect game gets the cash. thats a really good idea to spike sales imo. a million copies sold on the first day of release is a instant 60 million bucks. with a big game like gt5 they would prolly sell at least 5 million on the first day.

  • TongLong

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 9:37 pm GMT

    @monson21502

    LOL! Watch this tactic be used for some game down the road! Awesome idea!

  • monson21502

    Posted Feb 8, 2010 9:02 pm GMT

    they should offer to give the first person to get 100% trophies a million bucks. that way they would sell out the first day

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