Kazunori Yamauchi
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese game designer, professional racing driver, and most notably, CEO of Polyphony Digital
and producer of the Gran Turismo
series. He became the president of Polyphony Digital after designing his first game Motor Toon Grand Prix
, a cartoon-inspired racing title similar to Mario Kart
. Motor Toon Grand Prix later spawned a sequel, Motor Toon Grand Prix 2
, which was the only game in the franchise released outside of Japan. Since then, Yamauchi has fulfilled his dream of creating realistic driving simulators with his massively successful Gran Turismo series. He has also expressed interest in broadening out to other game genres; in 1999 Polyphony Digital released Omega Boost
, a shoot 'em up
title set in space, which has since proven to be Yamauchi's only foray outside of racing game development.
As a result of Gran Turismos success, Yamauchi has become an important figure in the worldwide automotive industry. For his help with promoting Volkswagen
models in the series, the company gave him a Golf R32
.. Polyphony Digital worked with Nissan to design the multifunction display (which relays various pieces of car data to the driver, including G-Force generated, torque distribution and lap times) found in the R35 GT-R
. The car as well as the display itself appear in the latest game in his franchise, Gran Turismo 5
. He was given a Nissan GT-R for his contribution.
On a video included with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Yamauchi remarked his favorite car design is the Ford GT
and he owns two in real life.
On August 29, 2009, he joined the World Car Awards team participating the SP8 class in race 8 of VLN piloting a Lexus IS-F on the Nürburgring. He clocked a fastest lap of 10 minutes 9 seconds which is the best in the team, and their team recorded a class win. He returned to the Nürburgring track as one of the 4 drivers of Team World Car Award
participating in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring 2010 and finished in 4th place in SP8 class.
Kazunori Yamauchi also was one of 4 drivers in the #96 Spoon Sports FD2 Civic Type-R during the 25 Hours Of Thunderhill which took place Dec. 5-6, 2009. The 25 Hours Of Thunderhill race was his first time driving in a US road course. The car placed 7th in its class, and 23rd position overall.
Yamauchi took part in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring 2011 as one of the four drivers of #71 Schulze Motorsport Nissan GT-R
. The team finished the race in 36th place overall, achieving a victory in the SP 8T class after overcoming several technical problems.
Polyphony Digital
Polyphony Digital, Inc. is an internal video game developing company of Sony Computer Entertainment and is part of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios...
and producer of the Gran Turismo
Gran Turismo (series)
is a popular and critically acclaimed series of racing simulation video games developed by Polyphony Digital.Developed exclusively for PlayStation systems, Gran Turismo games are intended to simulate the appearance and performance of a large selection of vehicles, nearly all of which are licensed...
series. He became the president of Polyphony Digital after designing his first game Motor Toon Grand Prix
Motor Toon Grand Prix
Motor Toon Grand Prix was a racing game released at the Japanese launch of the PS1. It is notable among other things for its art design which was created by Japanese artist, Susumu Matsushita. The game is commonly confused with Motor Toon Grand Prix 2 which was released under this title in the west...
, a cartoon-inspired racing title similar to Mario Kart
Mario Kart
is a series of go-kart-style racing video games developed by Nintendo as a series of spin-offs from its trademark Mario series of platformer adventure-style video games...
. Motor Toon Grand Prix later spawned a sequel, Motor Toon Grand Prix 2
Motor Toon Grand Prix 2
Motor Toon Grand Prix 2 is a racing game whose development is considered a lead-in to the Gran Turismo series. It was released in the west as Motor Toon Grand Prix since its predecessor never left Japan. In 2002, the game was re-released in Europe in a Twin Pack with Gran Turismo, Kazunori...
, which was the only game in the franchise released outside of Japan. Since then, Yamauchi has fulfilled his dream of creating realistic driving simulators with his massively successful Gran Turismo series. He has also expressed interest in broadening out to other game genres; in 1999 Polyphony Digital released Omega Boost
Omega Boost
Omega Boost is a three dimensional shoot 'em up developed by Polyphony Digital for the Sony PlayStation.In the game, players take control of the Omega Boost, a giant robot. The player is charged with travelling back in time to stop an artificial intelligence called Alpha Core from altering ENIAC,...
, a shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
title set in space, which has since proven to be Yamauchi's only foray outside of racing game development.
As a result of Gran Turismos success, Yamauchi has become an important figure in the worldwide automotive industry. For his help with promoting Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...
models in the series, the company gave him a Golf R32
Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf is a small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates – as the Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada , and as the Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico .The...
.. Polyphony Digital worked with Nissan to design the multifunction display (which relays various pieces of car data to the driver, including G-Force generated, torque distribution and lap times) found in the R35 GT-R
Nissan GT-R
The Nissan GT-R is a sports car produced by Nissan released in Japan on December 6, 2007, the United States on July 4, 2008, and the rest of the world in March 2009.-History:...
. The car as well as the display itself appear in the latest game in his franchise, Gran Turismo 5
Gran Turismo 5
is the fifth edition of the Gran Turismo racing video game series. Developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, it was released for PlayStation 3 on November 24, 2010...
. He was given a Nissan GT-R for his contribution.
On a video included with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Yamauchi remarked his favorite car design is the Ford GT
Ford GT
The Ford GT is a mid-engine two-seater sports car. Ford Motor Company produced the Ford GT for the 2005 to 2006 model years. The designers drew inspiration from Ford's GT40 race cars of the 1960s.- Development :...
and he owns two in real life.
On August 29, 2009, he joined the World Car Awards team participating the SP8 class in race 8 of VLN piloting a Lexus IS-F on the Nürburgring. He clocked a fastest lap of 10 minutes 9 seconds which is the best in the team, and their team recorded a class win. He returned to the Nürburgring track as one of the 4 drivers of Team World Car Award
World Car of the Year
The World Car of the Year is an automobile award selected by a jury of 48 international automotive journalists from 22 countries. Cars considered must be sold in at least five countries on at least two continents prior to January 1 of the year of the award...
participating in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring 2010 and finished in 4th place in SP8 class.
Kazunori Yamauchi also was one of 4 drivers in the #96 Spoon Sports FD2 Civic Type-R during the 25 Hours Of Thunderhill which took place Dec. 5-6, 2009. The 25 Hours Of Thunderhill race was his first time driving in a US road course. The car placed 7th in its class, and 23rd position overall.
Yamauchi took part in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring 2011 as one of the four drivers of #71 Schulze Motorsport Nissan GT-R
Nissan GT-R
The Nissan GT-R is a sports car produced by Nissan released in Japan on December 6, 2007, the United States on July 4, 2008, and the rest of the world in March 2009.-History:...
. The team finished the race in 36th place overall, achieving a victory in the SP 8T class after overcoming several technical problems.
External links
- Kazunori Yamauchi profile on MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- Kazunori Yamauchi on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...