Iconic PlayStation franchise Gran Turismo surpasses 90 million copies sold

Gran Turismo, arguably the most iconic PlayStation franchise of all time, has surpassed 90 million units since its launch. As the series celebrates its 25th anniversary, creator Kazunori Yamauchi – who remains a force at developer Polyphony Digital – revealed the milestone in a reflection. PS blog post, in which he recounts his start at the firm as it sought to gain a foothold in the lucrative console market.

“I started a movie production club when I was 14, and I was producing films, so I joined Sony in hopes of making image products first,” he revealed. “But the department they assigned me was not what I expected. It was a department where the PlayStation console was just starting, and a place where [PS1 designer Ken] Kutragi-san was working feverishly to bring the PlayStation concept to life.

Beyond racing games, Yamauchi had ambitions to pitch all kinds of projects, such as RPGs and even puzzlers. But he eventually settled on Motor Toon Grand Prix, a fantasy racer with bright and colorful graphics that would become one of Sony’s most successful first-party PlayStation games. “If the plans for something other than a racing game had been approved, there’s a good chance I’d be making a title other than Gran Turismo today,” he mused.

The Gran Turismo project would later gain momentum, starting with a team of two part-time artists and three engineers. It would become one of the most graphically impressive PS1 titles of its era, with its RPG-inspired gameplay loop hooking gamers worldwide. Polyphony Digital now employs around 200 employees, and its most recent release, Gran Turismo 7, has been touted as the best in the long-running franchise.

Congratulations to Yamauchi and team on the milestone, and long live Gran Turismo – it truly is a PlayStation institution these days!