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Gran Turismo 6, the next entry in Polyphony Digital's "real driving simulator" franchise, is set for release this holiday season on PlayStation 3, publisher Sony Computer Entertainment announced today.
The announcement confirms a leak from earlier today that divulged the details ahead of the company's planned reveal. Last week, the official Gran Turismo website teased a reveal event being held at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, U.K., today. Gran Turismo series producer Kazunori Yamauchi officially announced the game there.
According to a press release from Sony, Gran Turismo 6 will launch with 1,200 vehicles, including all the cars that appeared in Gran Turismo 5. Developer Polyphony Digital said the game will feature every track from Gran Turismo 5 along with courses in seven new locales, and a new "compact game engine" that will give the studio more flexibility in expanding the title with downloadable content in the future.
"I am very pleased with everything about the new game and the new additions, but the launch will be only the beginning for Gran Turismo 6," said Yamauchi in the press release. "The game will continue to develop throughout its life."
The studio also said it is building "expanded connectivity" into the game, including functionality with smartphones, tablets and computers. Gran Turismo 6 will offer a more realistic racing experience than ever before, according to Polyphony Digital, thanks to a new physics engine that includes revamped suspension, kinematics, aerodynamics and tire models. Players will be able to create their own cars, and the studio will continually release DLC cars.
Polyphony Digital has released numerous updates to Gran Turismo 5 since its launch in November 2010, including a "Spec 2.0" patch in October 2011 that added new NASCAR vehicles and features like a weather change menu. Sony said today it has sold more than 10 million copies of Gran Turismo 5 worldwide.
You can check out the first Gran Turismo 6 screenshots and announcement trailer below.
