Photo: Twitter @Thecarmagdriver
Microtransaction scandal or not, there's no other way of putting it than Gran Turismo has been simply crushing it since it came out last March. It's a cross-generation title, so it pleased both PS4 and PS5 owners. Recently it also got a free VR update for the PS VR2, a 120 fps mode, and on top of everything else, it's also getting a movie this August. Aside from HBO's hit series, The Last of Us, and the Uncharted movie, Sony's podium could soon get another winner.
Back in 2019, the nice folks over at Sony PlayStation thought of bringing their blockbuster video games to the non-gamer people of the world. Back in my day, we used to call them parents, but that's another story in and of itself.
Thus was born PlayStation Productions, a company created to transform their hit gaming franchises into movies and tv shows. In case anyone isn't up to date with the success of PlayStation-made games, more often than not, their 1st-party titles or exclusives are instant hits, selling millions upon millions of copies during their lifetime.
They put out such a consistently high level of quality because their studios are among the best in the world, and PlayStation marketing usually doesn't rush a game's release date just to hit the fiscal quarter or things of this sort.
Don't get me wrong now; not all of them are coming out perfect. From time to time, a Sony game will have some bugs and performance issues, but they get solved pretty quickly, and because they're such a high profile, they're always held accountable for that in reviews and social media in general. Drive Club and Days Gone would be two regrettable examples of this.
The first attempt from PlayStation Productions was the Uncharted movie, released in February 2022, which raked in more than $401 million at the box office. For hardcore fans, it didn't really capture the essence of the video games, but it was still worth a watch in the end.
Their second attempt was the recently released The Last of Us show from HBO, which broke records upon records in viewership. To say this was a hit would be a colossal understatement. The creators already said they have at least two more seasons planned, with the next one rumored to start either in late 2024 or sometime in 2025.
As for PS Productions' third attempt, we have one of the very first franchises Sony ever created, Gran Turismo. This beloved series saw the light of day on the PS1 in 1997 in Japan and '98 in the US and Europe. Since then, it has sold more than 90 million copies during its lifetime.
If we were to apply the same casting and production standards from Uncharted and The Last of Us, we could assume that Gran Turismo is also in good hands.
It doesn't seem like this would be too crazy to bet on. Just look at the team behind it. It has Neill Blomkamp at the helm as director, famous for writing and directing movies like District 9, Elysium, and Chappie.
The casting is also nothing to scoff at, with David Harbour (Stranger Things), Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings), Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamon), and many others in the mix.
The story from the upcoming movie isn't related to any of the games because there is no main plot within any of them, and it's inspired by the real-life events of a teenage Gran Turismo player who one day decides to become a race car driver.
In a recent interview, Neill Blomkamp said, "It's real actors, in real cars, on real race tracks, driving insanely quickly." Although dangerous, when you think about it, it makes more than enough sense for this kind of movie to have its actors actually driving the racing cars.
Top Gun: Maverick is closing in on earning 1.5 billion dollars (yes, with a B) at the box office, and it's a living example of this hands-on approach.
While this wasn't the only selling point that made so many people head in droves for the theaters, it offered a more realistic visual spectacle that gripped the audience, whereas using greenscreen-like technology and other computer-generated tricks wouldn't have had the same effect.
We could easily say that Gran Turismo won't even get close to the billion-dollar mark, let alone pass it. Still, if the production quality has what it takes to create an immersive atmosphere through non-digital visual effects and great editing, it might hit home for many people, just like Maverick did.
GT is slated for the silver screen this August 11. While it looks like it's the only thing PS Productions is coming out with this year, other big projects are also in development, like the Twisted Metal, God of War, and Horizon series, along with movies like Days Gone, Ghost of Tsushima, and Gravity Rush.
Fans of the titles I just laid out undoubtedly have their fingers crossed, hoping the movie counterparts will be as excellent as the games themselves.
Thus was born PlayStation Productions, a company created to transform their hit gaming franchises into movies and tv shows. In case anyone isn't up to date with the success of PlayStation-made games, more often than not, their 1st-party titles or exclusives are instant hits, selling millions upon millions of copies during their lifetime.
They put out such a consistently high level of quality because their studios are among the best in the world, and PlayStation marketing usually doesn't rush a game's release date just to hit the fiscal quarter or things of this sort.
Don't get me wrong now; not all of them are coming out perfect. From time to time, a Sony game will have some bugs and performance issues, but they get solved pretty quickly, and because they're such a high profile, they're always held accountable for that in reviews and social media in general. Drive Club and Days Gone would be two regrettable examples of this.
The first attempt from PlayStation Productions was the Uncharted movie, released in February 2022, which raked in more than $401 million at the box office. For hardcore fans, it didn't really capture the essence of the video games, but it was still worth a watch in the end.
Their second attempt was the recently released The Last of Us show from HBO, which broke records upon records in viewership. To say this was a hit would be a colossal understatement. The creators already said they have at least two more seasons planned, with the next one rumored to start either in late 2024 or sometime in 2025.
As for PS Productions' third attempt, we have one of the very first franchises Sony ever created, Gran Turismo. This beloved series saw the light of day on the PS1 in 1997 in Japan and '98 in the US and Europe. Since then, it has sold more than 90 million copies during its lifetime.
If we were to apply the same casting and production standards from Uncharted and The Last of Us, we could assume that Gran Turismo is also in good hands.
It doesn't seem like this would be too crazy to bet on. Just look at the team behind it. It has Neill Blomkamp at the helm as director, famous for writing and directing movies like District 9, Elysium, and Chappie.
The casting is also nothing to scoff at, with David Harbour (Stranger Things), Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings), Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamon), and many others in the mix.
The story from the upcoming movie isn't related to any of the games because there is no main plot within any of them, and it's inspired by the real-life events of a teenage Gran Turismo player who one day decides to become a race car driver.
In a recent interview, Neill Blomkamp said, "It's real actors, in real cars, on real race tracks, driving insanely quickly." Although dangerous, when you think about it, it makes more than enough sense for this kind of movie to have its actors actually driving the racing cars.
Top Gun: Maverick is closing in on earning 1.5 billion dollars (yes, with a B) at the box office, and it's a living example of this hands-on approach.
While this wasn't the only selling point that made so many people head in droves for the theaters, it offered a more realistic visual spectacle that gripped the audience, whereas using greenscreen-like technology and other computer-generated tricks wouldn't have had the same effect.
We could easily say that Gran Turismo won't even get close to the billion-dollar mark, let alone pass it. Still, if the production quality has what it takes to create an immersive atmosphere through non-digital visual effects and great editing, it might hit home for many people, just like Maverick did.
GT is slated for the silver screen this August 11. While it looks like it's the only thing PS Productions is coming out with this year, other big projects are also in development, like the Twisted Metal, God of War, and Horizon series, along with movies like Days Gone, Ghost of Tsushima, and Gravity Rush.
Fans of the titles I just laid out undoubtedly have their fingers crossed, hoping the movie counterparts will be as excellent as the games themselves.
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