PlayStation 4 players anxiously waiting to turn laps in Sony’s upcoming flagship racing title, Gran Turismo Sport, just might have their opportunity sooner than expected. Polyphony Digital CEO, Kazunori Yamauchi, announced yesterday that closed BETA testing for PlayStation 4 exclusive Gran Turismo Sport will begin March 17th. Initially, closed BETA testing will be available only to selected PSN accounts based within the US, however, sign-up is available now for both Europe and the USA as testing will expand over time. Select PSN accounts have already been included so be sure to check your PlayStation 4 inbox to see if you were chosen!
Along with this announcement, Yamauchi included the new “Gran Turismo Sport” Closed Beta Opening Movie.
According to Yamauchi, the number of closed BETA testers will start out small then increase gradually over time. Closed BETA testers will have access to a rotating selection of cars and tracks, and will be able to race against other testers online.
Participants will be able to choose from a select rotation of cars and tracks each day to race online against others during the BETA phases. Track and car selections will vary during this period, and we made sure to offer different race class categories and course configurations to properly test our GT fans!
As with most BETA programs, in order for the development team to capture data in an optimal manner, the sample size needs to be increased gradually and in stages. While we begin to roll out the BETA, we have decided that the time differences across the U.S. are best matched to the development team in Tokyo.
As the BETA begins to increase in size, those who have signed up within the PlayStation Europe forum or received a direct e-mail will be selected to participate in Phase 2 of the closed BETA. Spaces will be limited so, if you don’t get into Phase 2, make sure you stay tuned for future BETA activities in the run-up to launch!
In addition to tracks, cars and online races, closed BETA testers will also have access to Gran Turismo’s new Driver Profile. The Driver Profile includes features such as the Sportsmanship Rating – which tracks a players behavior and manners on-track – as well as the Driver Rating – which represents a players overall speed and in race performance. This sounds rather similar to a successful iRacing feature, in that it is supposed to match drivers of similar skill level while inspiring clean driving.
This will also be the first time users will see how the Driver Profile is integrated within GT Sport. The introduction of Sportsmanship Rating (tracks a player’s behavior and manners on-track) and Driver Rating (represents the overall speed of the player and how well they perform in races) will ensure those that race online will be equally matched, naturally creating a balanced group of competitive drivers for every race.
This is sure to be good news for Gran Turismo fans long awaiting the release of Polyophony Digital’s first Playstation 4 based racing game. Hopefully the start of closed BETA testing means Gran Turismo Sport is well under way to becoming a complete title. While Yamauchi is no friend of deadlines, we expect release sometime in 2017.
If you would like to sign up for Gran Turismo Sport closed BETA testing, click here.
You can also check up on all the latest Gran Turismo news anytime by clicking here.