Polyphony Digital
Polyphony Digital is an internal Japanese first-party video game development studio of Sony Interactive Entertainment, operated under SIE Worldwide Studios, which in turn is owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. Originally a development group within Sony Computer Entertainment known as Polys Entertainment,[2][3] after the success of Gran Turismo in Japan, they were granted greater autonomy and their name changed to Polyphony Digital. Polyphony currently has 5 studios in Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States.
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Formerly | Polys Entertainment (1994–1998) |
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Subsidiary | |
Industry | Video games |
Founded | 1994 |
Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan Fukuoka, Japan Amsterdam, Netherlands Los Angeles, California |
Key people | Kazunori Yamauchi (President) |
Products | Gran Turismo series |
Number of employees | ~170[1] |
Parent | SIE Worldwide Studios |
Website | Official website |
Company overview
The studio is best known for its Gran Turismo racing game series. Led by Kazunori Yamauchi, Gran Turismo became the most successful racing series for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3. The Gran Turismo series is designed to be a realistic driving simulator, offering realistic driving physics. In 2006, Polyphony released Tourist Trophy, in an attempt to bring the realism of Gran Turismo to motorcycle racing.
Games developed
as Polys Entertainment
Game Title | Release Date | Platform |
---|---|---|
Motor Toon Grand Prix | December 16, 1994 | PlayStation |
Motor Toon Grand Prix 2 | May 24, 1996 | |
Gran Turismo | December 23, 1997 |
as Polyphony Digital
Game Title | Release Date | Platform |
---|---|---|
Omega Boost | April 22, 1999 | PlayStation |
Gran Turismo 2 | December 11, 1999 | |
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec | April 28, 2001 | PlayStation 2 |
Gran Turismo Concept | January 1, 2002 | |
Gran Turismo 4 Prologue | December 4, 2003 | |
Gran Turismo 4 | December 28, 2004 | |
Tourist Trophy | February 2, 2006 | |
Gran Turismo HD | December 24, 2006 | PlayStation 3 |
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue | December 13, 2007 | |
Gran Turismo (PSP) | October 1, 2009 | PlayStation Portable |
Gran Turismo 5 | November 24, 2010 | PlayStation 3 |
Gran Turismo 6 | December 6, 2013 | |
Gran Turismo Sport | October 17, 2017 | PlayStation 4 |
Gran Turismo 7 | TBA | PlayStation 5 |
Other projects
Polyphony Digital has also been involved in real life automotive projects. They have developed special versions of their Gran Turismo games for many car manufacturers as demonstrators for their cars. Nissan also commissioned them to design a special bodykit for their 350Z coupe, which first appeared in 'GT Concept: 2002 Tokyo – Geneva' as the "Nissan 350Z Gran Turismo Aero", later becoming the "Fairlady Z NISMO S-Tune Concept by GRAN TURISMO" in GT4. There was also a faster 'Z-Tune' version with minor styling revisions and 400PS. The S-Tune was later sold in real life by NISMO (NISSAN MOTORSPORT) as a tuning package for existing owners.
More recently, they were contracted to design the multifunction display on the new Nissan GT-R,[4] which displays performance information such as G-forces, acceleration opening, brake pedal pressure, steering angle, an "optimal gearshift map," to emphasize economical vehicle operation.
When Nissan was looking for a company to develop the GT-R's user-friendly 'multi-function meter', the car maker says Polyphony was the obvious choice because of the simple menu systems applied to video games such as Gran Turismo. "If you think about the GT-R's multi-function meter with the g-force information and everything else, we wanted it to be very easy to read, very easy to use," says Nissan's global vice president of communications, Simon Sproule. "It's really about the logic of how video games work and their menu systems – which anyone can use – and then applying it to the car."[5]
Seiichi Ikiuo from Polyphony Digital encoded and decoded the movies for various SCEI games, such as The Legend of Dragoon, Everybody's Golf 2 and the Japanese versions of Roll Away and the original Crash Bandicoot games for the PS1.[6]
Recognition
In 2012, IGN placed Polyphony Digital at number 24 on their list of the 50 greatest developers of all time.[7] In the March 2015 issue of GamesTM magazine, the company was number 34 on their list of the "50 Best Developers In The World".[8]
In 2014, Polyphony Digital made a long-term partnership with Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) for plan to launch an official FIA Online Championship in 2015.[9]
References
- http://www.polyphony.co.jp/company/
- "Corporate Profile". polyphony.co.jp. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- "Polyphony Digital Inc". MobyGames. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
- Edmunds Inside Line: A Day in Germany With the GT-R Engineers Archived 2007-10-18 at the Wayback Machine
- Amy (3 October 2016). "MAZDA 121". Drive.
- "Seiichi Ikiuo Video Game Credits and Biography". MobyGames. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
- "Polyphony Digital – #24 Top Video Game Makers – IGN". IGN.
- GamesTM magazine issue 157, Imagine Publishing, March 2015
- "Polyphony Digital Inc. (PDI) and FIA to Form Long-term Partnership", Polyphony Digital Inc., 2014-06-24