Hit the jump for the press release.
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.”
Ends
Great news just the type of content we are looking for in the new GT, if Sony and other studios continue to make smart moves like this then i will be very happy with the extra content and features that PS3 games have to offer….. always wanted to drive that test track!
Comment by Nathaniel — Oct 25, 2007 @ 12:47 pm
Heard about this, its brilliant.
Best Racing Game? GT5
Best Motor Show? Top Gear
What happens when you put the two together? Months of fun.
Comment by Reza — Oct 25, 2007 @ 12:53 pm
I bagsey going the stig
Comment by adam — Oct 25, 2007 @ 12:54 pm
But when can I play GT5???
Comment by Fred — Oct 25, 2007 @ 1:00 pm
[…] From ThreeSpeech more confirmation on the TopGear GT5 story.� Hit the jump for the press release. […]
Pingback by Gamecovered.com » More GT5 and Topgear News From ThreeSpeech — Oct 25, 2007 @ 1:02 pm
I do hope you can have a CLAN buddies only leaderboard for the test track in the reasonably priced car
www.oldnrubbish.co.uk ( looking for old & rubbish players fed up with regimental attitude clans ) current nbr of members = 210
Comment by Neil — Oct 25, 2007 @ 1:03 pm
Curious also about costs associated with this Channel - doubt they’d give the eps away for free!
Comment by JohnSketch — Oct 25, 2007 @ 1:08 pm
@ JohnSketch.
Well with any luck they’ll at least be free within the UK to TV lisence payers…
After all, in that sense we’ve already paid once for these episodes.
Can’t wait to try out the Top Gear track.
Comment by Octaeder — Oct 25, 2007 @ 1:17 pm
Curious also about costs associated with this Channel - doubt they’d give the eps away for free!
Nothing in life is for free, get over it and just be happy new exciting things are coming our way
Comment by Sony Boy — Oct 25, 2007 @ 1:19 pm
its clearly say’s bbc world they are a profit making org, nothing to do with uk bbc,
Comment by Sony Boy — Oct 25, 2007 @ 1:22 pm
Well could be that Top Gear did this as a marketing thing, and thus didn’t charge Sony much or anything. I mean tying Top Gear to Gran Tourismo is a great way to reach younger viewers, which is what the BBC has been struggling with doing. It would also let Top Gear get a bigger mindshare in global TV markets, and thus increasing chances of further non-UK TV stations licensing the show.
Comment by Christian — Oct 25, 2007 @ 1:39 pm
I must admit after playing GT3 to death yonks ago not been excited by prospect of GT5, but having downloaded prologue from Japanese PSN on top of the Top Gear news, I’m getting rather keen. This is true next gen, mixing up the different media types in new and exciting ways. Can’t wait until they put James May in front of the game :O
Comment by MrJimmy — Oct 25, 2007 @ 1:52 pm
I assume this won’t be available to the Japanese version of GT5? I’m buying the Japanese version of GT5P and will be enjoying my Japanese faves of Best Motoring along with the SuperGT coverage, but would be nice to also get this. I would still take Best Motoring over anything though, even though Top Gear is more ‘entertaining’.
Comment by zetsurin — Oct 25, 2007 @ 2:30 pm
I didn’t think BBC worldwide could have content available in the UK, It would have to be the normal BBC (Worldwide is only for exporting outside the UK)
Comment by agm2502 — Oct 25, 2007 @ 2:57 pm
The demo is good, there are no charges for the GTTV on there yet… Any news on todays PSN updates???
Comment by VoodooCharlie — Oct 25, 2007 @ 3:18 pm
@ 14 - Not as yet. Will keep you informed as soon as I get them.
TS.
Comment by Three Speech — Oct 25, 2007 @ 3:27 pm
This foaming from the mouth is uncontrolable.
Comment by E-role — Oct 25, 2007 @ 3:36 pm
@7 I think they will be free as the BBC are a none profit organisation.
Great idea Sony your first for a long long time.
Comment by BENNE77 — Oct 25, 2007 @ 3:49 pm
@16
careful with the foaming, I myself have died from dehydration when drooling over previous announcements.
Stay Safe. Don’t Drool.
Comment by JohnSketch — Oct 25, 2007 @ 3:50 pm
@ 18
Safety first as always JS
Comment by mrsatansdojo — Oct 25, 2007 @ 4:44 pm
but.. you have to DOWNLOAD every episode!! it’s gt-tv, not gt-download and watch after wating an hour for it-tv. one word. STREAMING! plus i can watch it anytime i like anyway using this strange thing called cable.
can we please have news on the gt: prologue demo release and the gt: prologue full game release and price.
that doesn’t seem too much to ask.
Comment by mobiletone — Oct 25, 2007 @ 6:05 pm
@threebitch
the jap demo wil NOT be released in the western stores, this has been confirmed by polyphony digital
Comment by Semi-unofficial Account — Oct 25, 2007 @ 6:11 pm
lets hope they have the Suzuki Liana, so we can beat the times of the stars in the reasonably priced car!!!
Comment by Mark — Oct 25, 2007 @ 7:43 pm
Where is the Forum for yesterdays store update?
Comment by BENNE77 — Oct 26, 2007 @ 8:41 am
Where is the Forum for yesterdays store update????
Comment by BENNE77 — Oct 26, 2007 @ 8:41 am
@24. Seems to have passed them bye…No doub’t we’ll get something later today - after we’ve all been to the store and check it out…
Prehaps they could trot-off to SCEE and find out what was going on with the PS network last night instead.
Comment by BlueGene — Oct 26, 2007 @ 9:53 am
***********All hail the uk PSN update**************
C’mon then, moan about that one!
Before you do moan, have a look at the US update, it’s shite!!!!
Comment by Dan (BBRodriguez) — Oct 26, 2007 @ 10:04 am
this is off topic but primarily because they got the UK content a week before
Comment by Obli — Oct 27, 2007 @ 1:16 am
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