Nissan and PlayStation® GT Academy Time Trial Goes Live
- New track created by Kazunori Yamauchi
- Create your own ‘mini league' and challenge your friends
- Time Trial runs until Sunday, 17 April
Friday, 04 March 2011 - The GT Academy 2011 Time Trial goes live today[1] on the Gran Turismo®5 game for PlayStation®3 (PS3TM). The virtual-to-real-racer competition will be contested across 10 European countries over a six-week period. With the opportunity to become a real racing driver at stake, virtual racers must sign up on http://www.gran-turismo.com/ to participate (terms and conditions of entry apply[2]). The time trial competition will close at midnight on Sunday, 17 April, with competitors able to record as many laps as they want during the period.
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) and Nissan in Europe devised the GT Academy in 2008 to unearth a real racing talent from the legions of Gran Turismo's virtual racers. At the Geneva Motor Show this week, Nissan announced that Lucas Ordoñez, winner of the inaugural GT Academy competition, will be racing a new Nissan-powered LMP2 car in this year's Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, which includes the famous Le Mans 24 Hour race. The announcement is a clear demonstration of the potential of GT Academy, with the Time Trial marking the beginning of another journey that will set a lucky gamer on the path to a career as a professional racing driver.
The fastest 20 GT5 gamers from each participating territory[3] will make it to the second phase of the competition - a live territory final event. Two gamers from each of the six territories will then progress to the intensive GT Academy Race Camp at the famous Silverstone circuit. They will be put through their paces in some demanding physical, mental and driving challenges. One winner will then be trained up to international race licence standard before competing in the prestigious Dubai International 24 Hour Race in a full race spec Nissan 370Z GT4.
The GT Academy 2011 Time Trial will be played out on a unique new track, known as ‘Eifel', developed specifically in the innovative ‘Course Maker' feature of the Gran Turismo®5 game by legendary creator Kazunori Yamauchi. The Time Trial will feature the stunning Nissan 370Z (Z34). As a reward for taking part, entrants to GT Academy 2011 will also have the opportunity to download an exclusive new Nissan GT-R model for general game play outside of the time trial.
A new feature will be added to this year's Time Trial competition enabling the creation of ‘mini leagues'. As well as trying to prove themselves against the best GT5 racers in their country, players can also challenge friends in the Time Trial and compete for bragging rights.
Commenting on the changes, Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digital Inc., said: "We are very excited about the start of GT Academy 2011. The concept of taking a Gran Turismo racer and turning them into a real racing driver has been proven to work by both of our exceptional previous winners, Lucas Ordoñez and Jordan Tresson. This is the real deal and not just a gimmick, and so we look forward to some fierce competition played out on GT5 over the next six weeks.
"I have enjoyed creating a new track for the Time Trial. I aimed for something that is a balance between technical and challenging for the very fastest drivers, while still accessible for anybody new to GT5. With the addition of the mini leagues functionality, we are aiming to make sure that everybody gets online and plays. Even if you are not going to make the top 20, it is always good to be able to beat your friends!"
Nissan International's Vice-President of Marketing, Vincent Wijnen, is equally upbeat. "Entering our third year of GT Academy is somehow even more exciting than when we started," he explains. "We have already discovered two outstanding talents and it will be a very proud moment for us when Lucas lines up on the Le Mans grid this year. But I also can't wait to see who is going to be our next champion.
"Of course, we particularly love to get to Silverstone, where we see the reaction of the finalists to getting behind the wheel of our real cars for the first time. But the Time Trial phase is also very satisfying because the 370Z looks so good in GT5. This is a great competition and a great co-operation between two very innovative companies."
In order to ensure that they can participate in GT Academy 2011, players must ensure that they have all the latest updates for GT5 installed. This should happen automatically when the game is opened while online, but players should check that they are running version 1.07 of GT5.
Ends
Players should register for GT Academy 2011 at http://www.gran-turismo.com/.
News, views, fun, images and video about GT Academy 2011 can be found on various platforms including:
www.facebook.com/GTAcademy | http://eu.gran-turismo.com/ | www.twitter.com/GTAcademywww.youtube.com/gtacademyEurope | www.flickr.com/photos/gtacademyeurope
For more information, please contact your local PlayStation or Nissan PR manager.
Additional notes: About the Gran Turismo® Franchise Gran Turismo®5 was released on 24 November, 2010 and sold 5.5 million units worldwide in its first two weeks on sale. The ninth instalment of the world's best-selling racing franchise features a completely new physics engine for an improved feel for steering during turns and drifts, delivering a more intuitive driving experience than ever before. The game also features an impressive line-up of more than 1,000 licensed cars from the world's top manufacturers. Other innovative features include stereoscopic 3D support, real-time car damage, dynamic weather effects and a deep online and community feature set where players can race online with up to 16 competitors through PlayStation®Network. With the widest scope and depth of gameplay options in the Gran Turismo series, Gran Turismo 5 offers users an entertainment experience that is only possible on PS3. Gran Turismo clothing and merchandise is now available on http://www.shop.eu.gran-turismo.com/ About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®3, PlayStation®2, PSPTM (PlayStation®Portable) and PlayStation®Network software and hardware in 99 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. SCEE also develops, publishes, markets and distributes entertainment software for these formats, and manages the third party licensing programs for the formats in these territories. Since the launch of PlayStation 3 in November 2006, 47.9 million units have been sold globally and continue to be sold at a record level. Maintaining its position as one of the most successful consumer electronic products in history, PlayStation 2 has sold over 149.8 million systems worldwide. Since its launch at the end of 2004, over 67.8 million PSPs have been sold globally, highlighting the importance of the portable entertainment market. With the huge increase in interest and accessibility of network applications and network gaming, more than 69 million accounts have registered to PlayStation Network, the free-to-access interactive environment, and over 1.43 billion items have been downloaded. More information about PlayStation products can be found at http://www.playstation.com. PlayStation, the PlayStation logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. PS3 and PSP are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. About Nissan in Europe Nissan employs around 12,500 people in its European design, research and development, manufacturing, logistics, and sales and marketing operations. In calendar year 2010, the company sold 547,000 vehicles across 47 markets in Western and Eastern Europe including Russia. Furthermore, the company produced a total of 527,966 vehicles in its Spanish and British plants. http://www.newsroom.nissan-europe.com/ About the Nissan 370Z Nissan's 370Z continues the bloodline of previous Zs by offering an authentic rear-wheel drive sports car experience, with enhanced performance and handling thanks to its more compact dimensions and attention to weight-saving. In the first full redesign of the iconic Nissan Z since its re-introduction in 2003, the 370Z now sports a shorter wheelbase, greater use of lightweight body materials, a new engine with more horsepower and a new 7-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, as well as the world's first synchronized down/up shift rev control system for the manual transmission. But to get the full measure of the new model, now designated the Nissan 370Z, one need look no farther than the purposeful, athletic design which retains the Z's basic DNA, but adds a purposeful muscularity. The new 370Z remains true to the Z's original philosophy, offering accessible performance, true sportscar handling and athletic, agile design. [1] Italy GT Academy commences 18 March, 2011 [2] Entrants must be aged 18 years or over, be resident in a participating country and hold a full driving licence. Other eligibility criteria apply. Full terms and conditions are available at www.gran-turismo.com [3] UK & Ireland; France & Switzerland; Germany & Austria; Spain & Portugal; Italy; Netherlands
With more than 60 million units shipped worldwide, the award-winning Gran Turismo® franchise for the PlayStation® , PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®3 and PSP (PlayStation® Portable) is regarded as the best and most authentic driving simulator ever created due to its true-to-life graphics, authentic physics technology and design. Since the inception of the Gran Turismo franchise, famed creator Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital Inc. in Japan have revolutionized the racing category as we know it today. His offerings provide the most realistic driving simulation in the industry and a unique medium for automotive manufacturers to showcase their products.
