Gran Turismo 5 Gets Refocused European Launch Window: Fall 2010

Let’s recap: Gran Turismo 5 is 90% done according to Kazunori Yamauchi, the head of Polyphony Digital. Despite this fact, they were completely mute on any details regarding any release date in any region. When GamesCom came around, Europe expected to see the game before the end of the New Year, as Sony blatantly stated in their brochure. That didn’t happen. Japan was dated for a March 2010 release, but has been pushed back to a date still to be determined, and North America’s last known window was “Summer”, though I highly doubt that it will still be coming before the Japanese are able to get their hands on it.

Speed up until now, and the new date for Europe is Fall. I could keep whining about this situation like a giddy little school girl whose purse has been snatched, but it wouldn’t do my immense level of confusion, angst, and desire any justice. Even though I don’t live in Europe, Gran Turismo games are always released overseas months before any Americans will get the chance to see an official boxart. The prospect that this game could be on hold for us until 2011 is very disappointing, but I won’t call foul just yet.

I kind of understand where Sony is coming from, as well. They don’t really need to rush seeing as how they have a huge line up of first party blockbusters coming our way in the coming months, and GT5 would’ve only crowded that window. When is enough enough, though? Are they just going to keep delaying the game until no other game is set to release in any given month they’re looking at? Are they going to continue to give Polyphony so much time to get this game out of the door? I know it’s never too good to rush a video game, and normally I’d be happy that a developer would be willing to add time onto the release window in order to get things right, but I think by now (especially with the admission that the game could be released virtually any day they wanted it to) it’s a little ridiculous, if not downright infuriating for fans who have been waiting for years.

We’re pretty much witnessing another case of the Duke Nukem Forever debauchery, except we actually got play time with the game through various means (demos, the Prologue, etc). I’m just going to suppress all anticipation for this game until Sony is able to give us a solid release date for at least one of their markets, though, because disappointment as a theme is really lame.

[via GTPlanet]