14 DAY TRIAL // Gran Turismo 5 from developer Polyphony Digital and publisher Sony has again been delayed, with the official launch date set to come before Christmas in North America, but it seems that retailers actually have the retail editions of the game in stock at this very moment, which prompts questions about the reasons for the game's most recent delay.
The Examiner reports that at least one retailer, Fingerhut, has said that they can ship a Collector's Edition of the racing simulation title in two to six days.
Of course, it could all be a hoax but rumors from other retailers are also suggesting that the game is in stock in North America, probably shipped in order to meet the early November launch date.
After the most recent delay, fans of the series have begun speculating about when Gran Turismo 5 will finally be released and there are now two main schools of thought, one saying that the game could come one to two weeks after November 16, when Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, from Criterion and Electronic Arts, launches, while others are saying that Sony will put out Gram Turismo 5 one week before Christmas.
Gran Turismo 5 has been delayed enough times to make it close to entering the category of “vaporware”, applications that are announced, talked about and then never released.
Polyphony Digital, the team creating the game, have said that their work is done and that they are already thinking about Gran Turismo 6 but Sony has not offered a new official release date.
Gran Turismo 5 is set to offer gamers the chance to experience racing with about 1,000 cars, some of them receiving detailed interiors and damage models while others will only have their exteriors fully simulated.
The game is a PlayStation 3 exclusive, with Sony hoping that it will boost sales of its console when it is finally released.