Gran Turismo Partners With Getty Images For Licensed Photos Inside The Game

Following the announcement of Gran Turismo 7 during the PlayStation 5 showcase in June, Sony has announced a unique and interesting promotion surrounding an earlier entry in the racing franchise.

Developer Polyphony Digital has agreed to a partnership with Getty Images that will see Getty's motorsport photographers take in-game photos of Gran Turismo Sport's online events.

This is an extension of an existing partnership, as Getty Images worked with Polyphony in 2019 for the Gran Turismo Championship series. Its photographers snapped photos from inside the video game at tournaments in Nurburgring, New York, Salzburg, Tokyo, Sydney, and Monaco--and they were pretty spectacular as you could imagine.

This partnership will continue for the 2020 FIA Gran Turismo Championship series, which began on April 25.

"This partnership aims to bridge the gap between two worlds--virtual and real--to showcase the beauty and exhilaration of simulated racing to a wider global audience," Polyphony said in a press release. "As esports and its surrounding ecosystem continues to see exponential growth and with brands and media around the world catering to a growing community of esports fans and players, Getty Images is once again innovating through visual content and leading the way in sport photography."

Getty Images boss Ken Mainardis said in a statement, "This partnership with Polyphony Digital signifies the next phase of sport photography and the true growth that is occurring across the esports landscape."

The images that Getty's photographers take inside Gran Turismo don't come cheap--the Getty website shows that the images start at $200 AUD for a "small" version of 72 dpi, scaling to $650 AUD for a "large" photo at 300 dpi.

As for Gran Turismo 7, the racing game was announced during Sony's PS5 showcase, but there is no word yet on when it will be released. Find the full list of PS5 games revealed during Sony's event for more on what's coming to the next-gen console.