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.

Polyphony Digital
FormerlyPolys Entertainment (1994–1998)
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
FoundedApril 2, 1998 (1998-04-02)
HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
Key people
Kazunori Yamauchi (president)
ProductsGran Turismo series
Number of employees
~170[1]
ParentSony Interactive Entertainment
WebsiteOfficial 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 TitleRelease DatePlatform
Motor Toon Grand PrixDecember 16, 1994PlayStation
Motor Toon Grand Prix 2May 24, 1996
Gran TurismoDecember 23, 1997

as Polyphony Digital

Game TitleRelease DatePlatform
Omega BoostApril 22, 1999PlayStation
Gran Turismo 2December 11, 1999
Gran Turismo 3: A-SpecApril 28, 2001PlayStation 2
Gran Turismo ConceptJanuary 1, 2002
Gran Turismo 4 PrologueDecember 4, 2003
Gran Turismo 4December 28, 2004
Tourist TrophyFebruary 2, 2006
Gran Turismo HDDecember 24, 2006PlayStation 3
Gran Turismo 5 PrologueDecember 13, 2007
Gran Turismo (PSP)October 1, 2009PlayStation Portable
Gran Turismo 5November 24, 2010PlayStation 3
Gran Turismo 6December 6, 2013
Gran Turismo SportOctober 17, 2017PlayStation 4
Gran Turismo 72021[4]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.

In 2007, they were contracted to design the multifunction display on the new Nissan GT-R,[5] 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."[6]

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.[7]

Recognition

In 2012, IGN placed Polyphony Digital at number 24 on their list of the 50 greatest developers of all time.[8] In the March 2015 issue of GamesTM magazine, the company was number 34 on their list of the "50 Best Developers In The World".[9]

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.[10]

References
  1. http://www.polyphony.co.jp/company/
  2. "Corporate Profile". polyphony.co.jp. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  3. "Polyphony Digital Inc". MobyGames. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  4. "New and Upcoming Games | PS5 - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  5. Edmunds Inside Line: A Day in Germany With the GT-R Engineers Archived 2007-10-18 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Amy (3 October 2016). "MAZDA 121". Drive.
  7. "Seiichi Ikiuo Video Game Credits and Biography". MobyGames. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  8. "Polyphony Digital – #24 Top Video Game Makers – IGN". IGN.
  9. GamesTM magazine issue 157, Imagine Publishing, March 2015
  10. "Polyphony Digital Inc. (PDI) and FIA to Form Long-term Partnership", Polyphony Digital Inc., 2014-06-24
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