Gran Turismo almost crashed, but the license was narrowly saved

Since leaving PlayStation, where he worked for over thirty years, Shuhei Yoshida has been very vocal. In recent months, the former president of PlayStation Indies, who also headed PlayStation Studios between 2008 and 2019, has made numerous appearances in various media outlets, where he has shared numerous revelations about the industry's behind-the-scenes goings-on. This was an opportunity for us to learn a whole bunch of juicy anecdotes, like the time he saved Gran Turismo from a potential crash.

When Shuhei Yoshida saved Gran Turismo from crashing

Asked by PlayStation Inside about the proudest moments of his career, the businessman recalled this story, which he had never spoken about publicly before today. "It was at the beginning of the first PlayStation, and Kazunori Yamauchi was working on the very first Gran Turismo," he recalls. "Do you remember that on the cover, it was written that the game was the 'real driving simulator'? […] To tell you the truth, he was really very serious when he talked about simulation! (laughs)" Yoshida continues.

"It was extremely advanced and maybe too much. But at first Yamauchi didn't take my feedback at face value," he explains after revealing that he was one of the first to play the game. He then adds: "So he gathered around thirty consumers to test the game. And as I expected, all of them crashed without exception at the first turn because the gameplay was so difficult. I was at the back of the room with Yamauchi, and at that moment he turned to me and told me that I was right.".

Change of trajectory

At the end of this playtest phase, the creator of Gran Turismo decided to rework his copy and smooth out the rough edges to make the game's gameplay more flexible. And that's how the title we know today was born, the same one that then led to a real franchise whose success continues to shine near Thirty years later. "In a way, I like to think that I partly saved the fate of Gran Turismo, and that I, in a small way, participated in its success!" Yoshida then laughs.

Source: PlayStation Inside