Polyphony Digital and BBC Worldwide to collaborate on best-selling racing game series Gran Turismo®Top Gear to provide content for download via GT TV™
Tokyo, October 24 2007 – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) and Polyphony Digital, Inc., the creators of the best-selling racing franchise, Gran Turismo®, today announced a collaboration with BBC Worldwide that will allow BBC’s Top Gear programme to be downloaded through Gran Turismo TV (GT TV™) on PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™).
GT TV, a dedicated online channel packed with the latest news and content from the motoring world, will launch worldwide on PLAYSTATION®Network in 2008. BBC Worldwide will provide 40 episodes of Top Gear, the award-winning BBC television series about motoring for download.
In addition, the Top Gear Test Track – the track featured each week on the show, where host Jeremy Clarkson and the Top Gear team test the latest cars – will be replicated in Gran Turismo 5 (GT5) on PS3. For the first time in a racing game, players will be able to burn rubber and experience every white knuckle, hairpin turn on the Top Gear Test Track for themselves.
“We at Polyphony are great fans of the world’s best motoring programme, Top Gear, so we’re delighted to be collaborating with BBC Worldwide to deliver Top Gear content via Gran Turismo,” said Kazunori Yamauchi, President, Polyphony Digital, “We’re sure that players will be as thrilled as we are when they get the chance to put their own driving skills to the test on the Top Gear Test Track in GT5, as well as enjoying classic episodes of Top Gear via GT TV.”
Simon Danker, Director, Digital Media, BBC Worldwide commented, “BBC Top Gear is the world’s number one motoring media brand and we’re thrilled to make it accessible to Gran Turismo gamers. We continue to explore different avenues to share our content with an expanding audience, and are delighted to participate with Polyphony Digital in the launch of this exciting new opportunity.”
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About Gran Turismo™
With more than 47 million units sold worldwide, the Gran Turismo® franchise is regarded as the best and most authentic driving simulation ever created, available exclusively for PlayStation®, PlayStation®2 and PLAYSTATION®3. With the launch of Gran Turismo® 4 (2004), a new standard was set for authentic racing action with more than 700 cars and more than 50 tracks encompassing 80 real auto manufacturers and various real-life courses from around the world, as well as realistic driving physics and various new game modes. The latest iteration of the series, GT5 Prologue, will be available in 2008 and is will once again set new standards for the industry. In addition, it will provide online capabilities and will deliver Gran Turismo TV™ to racing fans.
About PLAYSTATION®Network
PLAYSTATION®Network is a free-to-access interactive environment where it’s simple to download exiting game and videos, chat to friends and family around the world and play online for free.1
About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd as of 3rd July 2007
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PLAYSTATION®3, PlayStation®2 and PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) software and hardware in 102 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories. Since the launch of PLAYSTATION®3 in Europe on 23 March 2007 and the end of March 2007 over 1.6 million units have been shipped across the SCEE territories, over 5.5 million globally. Between its European debut on 24th November 2000 and the end of March 2007, over 44 million PlayStation 2 consoles have been shipped across the SCEE territories, over 117 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful consumer electronic products in history. Between its European debut on 1st September 2005 and the end of March 2007, over 8.8 million PSP systems have been shipped across the SCEE territories, with over 25 million shipped worldwide since its Japanese launch in December 2004.
