Ahead of the recent State of Play devoted to Gran Turismo 7, we were able, with other international media, to ask some questions to the emblematic creator of the Kazunori saga " Kaz » Yamauchi.
The opportunity to learn more about this new upcoming opus, but also about the Gran Turismo series in general, whose first opus dates back to 1997 on PlayStation. Due to the pandemic, Polyphony Digital was unable to organize an in-person event, but we were able to attend a one-hour Q&A, along with other international media.
Since the first Gran Turismo, the saga has been renowned for offering a deep immersion in the world of motor racing. What have you done to further improve the level in this GT 7?
Kazunori Yamauchi: With Gran Turismo 7, we wanted to get even closer to reality. This obviously goes through the graphics, thanks to the power of the PS5 in particular, but also through the audio environment, with better rendering during races. This allows us to fully express the sounds and vibrations of real car racing. In reality, there are many details which, put together, considerably boost the immersion of this new episode.
Are new cars on the program?
Kazunori Yamauchi: Of course, we have a list of cars coming soon, and that will be revealed gradually over the next few weeks.
Gran Turismo celebrates its 2022th anniversary in 25. What was the most touching moment for you?
Kazunori Yamauchi: Each episode offers its share of emotions for me and for the whole team. Each episode is new to us, and we fully appreciate each launch of a new Gran Turismo.
Dynamic weather is one of the major new features of Gran Turismo 7, can you tell us more about it?
Kazunori Yamauchi: The time cycle, from morning to evening, will be available on all circuits, but the transition from night to early morning will only be available on certain emblematic tracks (Le Mans, Spa…). On the weather side, the possibility of opting for radiant or threatening skies will be available on all circuits, but driving rain will be limited to certain routes only. The challenge for us was to work on physics that will be directly affected by the weather. Retranscribing the temperature of the asphalt, whether it is dry or wet, was a real challenge for us.
How did you go about recording the engine sounds of all the vehicles in Gran Turismo 7?
Kazunori Yamauchi: We have studios in North America, Europe (Germany and UK) and Japan, and the sounds of the cars were recorded directly from a process that captures every vocalization of the different engines very faithfully. , for perfect fidelity.
Can you tell us more about the Café, and what this mode will offer?
Kazunori Yamauchi: Gran Turismo 7 offers many game modes, and Café mode brings a whole new way to play. It is a series of challenges to complete, which allow the player to learn certain things about the vehicles and the world of Gran Turismo while having fun.
The Café can also make it possible to discover the engineers and creators who are at the origin of certain emblematic vehicles. It's a way of paying tribute to automotive culture as a whole, and to all the professionals involved in the automotive world.
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Has competitor AI been optimized in Gran Turismo 7?
Kazunori Yamauchi: The AI ​​is constantly progressing, but this year, the competitors will have more human reactions, and some may be aggressive, make mistakes... Obviously, this AI can continue to evolve over the months according to the game updates.
Can you tell us more about the Music Rally mode which requires crossing checkpoints, without necessarily asking the player to drive fast?
Kazunori Yamauchi: Music Rally is a mode that lets players really enjoy driving to music. We wanted to make this mode suitable for newcomers, with a ride that was both fun and frustration-free.
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At each checkpoint, we allow the music to continue, the goal being to go as far as possible and not run out of "beats/BPM". The player can decide to play competitively, or on the contrary, in a very cool way.
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Can you confirm if GT7 requires an online connection, and why?
Kazunori Yamauchi: Yes, there are many functions that require an online connection (showcase, online, etc.), but this also helps to avoid any form of cheating, as can be seen too often in other car simulations.
What are the most important elements of the PS5 that you used for Gran Turismo 7?
Kazunori Yamauchi: It's common to all developers who work on PS5, but it comes mainly from the SSD and very fast loading. This does not only concern loading times, but also many other calculations, which are extremely fast on PS5, and which greatly facilitate the comfort of play as a whole.
Is Gran Turismo 7 the most personal Gran Turismo you've developed so far ?
Kazunori Yamauchi: Yes, each Gran Turismo has been a unique experience, and for 25 years I have been able to meet many players in this industry, engineers, designers, pilots... I think it is essential today today to transmit automotive culture as a whole to all generations, past and future.
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Gran Turismo 7 will also feature advanced night sky management. Can you tell us more?
Kazunori Yamauchi: We used NASA data to reproduce the sky as faithfully as possible. Everything is based on real astronomical standards, and the stars and planets you will see in the sky will obviously depend on the region where the circuit on which you are moving is located. Of course, the beauty of the stars cannot be fully appreciated while racing, so I invite you to activate the photo mode to fully enjoy the starry skies and the incredible work that has been done on this subject.
What about multiplayer? Will it be similar to the one offered by Gran Turismo Sport?
Kazunori Yamauchi: Yes, Gran Turismo 7 is equivalent to Gran Turismo Sport in terms of online game modes (Editor's note: and it also offers a two-player split-screen mode).
Will we be entitled to easter eggs in Gran Turismo 7?
Kazunori Yamauchi: Yes, but you'll understand that obviously I can't tell you about it right away.…
What is the place of the rally in Gran Turismo 7?
Kazunori Yamauchi: Rallying has its place in Gran Turismo 7, with the possibility of driving on dirt, and possibly on snow in a future update.
What is your best memory during these 25 years of Gran Turismo?
Kazunori Yamauchi: When it was released 25 years ago on PlayStation, Gran Turismo was an experimental title, and I didn't expect it to become so popular to be honest. Since then, we've had the support of millions of players around the world, and Polyphony Digital has grown from a small team of 15 people back then, to around 300 today, but it's still the same and a large family, who take pleasure in developing a title developed with passion. This is probably what I am most proud of today.
