$60 Million Dollars makes a Gran Turismo 5 - New Screenshots

Gran Turismo 5 is part of my personal trinity of games that includes Final Fantasy 13 and Half Life 2 Episode 3 that still don't have release dates yet are near the top of my most anticipated list.  The former two at least have Japanese dates so that is a start.  GT5 is expected in Japan around March of next year and hopefully shortly there after here in the States and Europe. 

In the mean time we have more screenshots and news to awe over including the current estimated budget of Polyphony Digital's latest creation.  In a recent Autoweek.com interview GT mastermind Kazunori Yamauchi gave out some interesting details in regards to the upcoming title:

• SCEA and marketing is holding the game up more than anything at this point
• Five years of development has them right on time, same it took for GT4
• 400,000 polygons per car, 100 times more than were present on GT4
• GT6 will not take as long as 5 as the new engine is complete now
• ...and last but not least, the game has $60 million dollars to develop!

$60 million!  I realize other games have had budgets higher but only a handful and from this guy's figures it would be GT5 in the top five most expensive games of all time. 













In other news you check out the new screenshots above or the whole gallery here from the SEMA show of past winners of the Gran Turismo Awards which are held in Las Vegas. 

At the show there was a handful of sweet announcements as well.  Winners at the GT Awards received custom gold Playstation 3s which will probably fetch a mint on Ebay someday.  The 1970 Mustang "Trans Cammer" built by Philip Koenen and Grand Touring Garage in Oregon looks absolutely awesome and part of its award for winning best of show will be a spot in the actual Gran Turismo 5 game for us all to play.  The Scion with front mounted wing is pretty impressive as well.  Be sure to check them out.

By the way, that black Infinity G35 Coupe gives me wood.