On the occasion of a recent interview, Shuhei Yoshida revealed that the first Gran Turismo could have never met the success that we know without his intervention.
Since his departure from PlayStationwhere he worked for over thirty years, Shuhei Yoshida To the tongue well hanged. In recent months, the ex-president of the PlayStation Indies, who was also at the head of the PlayStation Studios between 2008 and 2019, has indeed multiplied the appearances within different media, where he then engaged in many revelations on the behind the scenes of the industry. The opportunity for us to learn a whole bunch of crisp anecdotes, like the time he saved Gran Tourism of a potential crash.
When Shuhei Yoshida saved Gran Turismo from the crash
Questioned by PlayStation Inside about the moments of his career, of which he is most proud, the businessman has indeed remembered this story of which he had never spoken publicly before today. “It was at the beginning of the first PlayStation, and Kazunori Yamauchi worked on the very first Gran Turismo” he recalls. “Do you remember that on the jacket, it was written that the game was ‘Real Driving Simulator’?” […] To tell you the truth, he was really very serious when he was talking about simulation! (laughs) “ continues Yoshida.
“It was extremely pushed and perhaps too much. But at the beginning Yamauchi did not take my return as a cash ” He explains then after revealing that he was one of the first to play in the title. He then adds: “So he brought together around thirty consumers to test the game. And as I expected, everyone crashed without exception at the first turn so much the playability was difficult. I was then at the back of the room with Yamauchi, and at that moment he turned to me and he told me that I was right ”.
Trajectory change
At the end of this Playtest phase, the creator of Gran Turismo therefore decided to rework his copy and round the angles to soften the gameplay of the game. And this is how the title we know today, the same one who then led to a real franchise whose success continues to shine almost thirty years later. “In a way, I like to think that I partially saved the fate of Gran Turismo, and that I have, for a little part, participated in its success! »» Then laughs Yoshida.
Source : PlayStation Inside
