November 18, 2004 - There was worry in the Gran Turismo crowd last night. After we posted This Story stating that the Japanese version of Gran Turismo 4 would be delayed in Japan until December 28 of this year, the letters started pouring in regarding its U.S. release date. Sure everyone knew that it was likely that GT4 would now slip into next year here in the States, but there was no confirmation of it.

There is now.

In a statement released by Sony Computer Entertainment America this morning, the U.S delay of Gran Turismo 4 was officially authenticated.

" The release of Gran Turismo 4, originally set for December 14th, 2004, will change to the first quarter of calendar year 2005," said Ron Eagle, Public Relations Manager, SCEA. " With Gran Turismo 4, the company is
committed to providing consumers with the most complete racing game built
to date. Natural challenges with finalizing all the key features and
localization issues across worldwide territories have led to the difficult
choice of pushing back the release date in order to ensure that Gran
Turismo 4 lives up to the exacting standards of the 36 million-plus fans
worldwide that have purchased previous versions of our best-selling
franchise."

Eagle continued, " The Gran Turismo series has helped to define car culture and its fans have come to expect superior attention to detail combined with revolutionary technology that delivers unmatched graphics, realistic car physics, and an authentic racing experience that exceeds any previous racing title. Sony Computer Entertainment America is steadfast in our commitment to producing a superior product and is confident that the launch of Gran Turismo 4 will set a new benchmark for all other racing games to follow. With the history of the franchise and high consumer anticipation, Gran Turismo 4 still serves as an important part in Sony Computer Entertainment America' s upcoming first party lineup."