Retail Radar: Gran Turismo HD, Hellgate not releasing until late '07?

Online retailer suggests that anticipated games from Polyphony Digital and Flagship Studios are still a year away.

The list of developers known for their ability to produce hits has some overlap with the list of developers known for their ability to hold onto games as long as it takes until they're "done." Polyphony Digital and Blizzard Entertainment are two such companies; now it appears that the developers of Gran Turismo and Flagship Studios (a startup headed by veterans of Blizzard's Diablo franchise) could each be carrying on that tradition.

Product listings on GameStop.com for Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo HD and Flagship's Hellgate: London both indicate that the games won't be shipping for another year.

Hellgate: London has already been a featured product of Namco's at two straight Electronic Entertainment Expos, and if the GameStop release date is accurate, it would likely earn the trifecta this year. However, a representative told GameSpot that Hellgate's release date is still "to be announced."

Flagship CEO Bill Roper elaborated on the release status of his game. "We have never issued a release date for Hellgate: London, and to see 'stories' run off of the fabricated speculation provided by a retailer who in no way sets our release dates is, to say the least, disappointing," Roper said. "Hellgate: London continues on schedule and until you see a release window issued from Flagship Studios, do not believe it."

As for Gran Turismo HD, it was slated for "this winter" as recently as last month, so a bump of nearly an entire year would be a little surprising. Then again, the still-unreleased Gran Turismo 4 Mobile for the PlayStation Portable was originally set for an early 2005 release in the US, so a delay on the PS3 edition wouldn't be that surprising.

Please note, while retailer listings frequently give gamers a heads up on unannounced news, they should not be taken as final confirmation of a game's release date, platform, or even its existence.

170 Comments

  • mokyumokyu_01

    Posted Nov 30, 2006 11:34 pm PT

    GTHD is the sale discontinuance and GT5 the release dates undecided. GTHD free on PLAYSTATION Store. http://www.gran-turismo.com/jp/sp/d375.html

  • e1337prodigy

    Posted Nov 30, 2006 10:51 am PT

    Neither of them look done to me. Maybe the quality of the video's I download are poor but they don't look that spectacular. Especially since Hellgate is suppose to be using DX10.

  • pencilpusher69

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 11:13 am PT

    Maybe GT:HD will be out around the end of the consoles "15 year" lifecycle?

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 10:58 am PT

    bu......but... i thought GT:HD was almost done at e3 2005?!?!?!?????

    LOL!!!!!!

  • Autolycus

    Posted Nov 27, 2006 5:40 am PT

    mark_unix
    Riverwolf007 letdown to fans everywhere???
    not here and not in any review, and online racing? just check your xbox360 online the demand for online racing is very small.
    --------------------------
    like it or not, its true. Reviews have NOTHING to do with sales and people were hurt by how crappy GT4 was compared to the others. that and there was no online play. How would you feel if you purchase a ps2 hard drive? Same things going to happen to blu-ray

  • MRTeam

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 8:12 am PT

    I think we can wait considering everything they want to do with GT-HD or GT5.

  • ElZilcho

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 6:44 am PT

    if they were waiting for more ps3's to be installed on the market then there's trouble because for more systems to be installed out there we need the games, so how in the world are we gonna care about the system if there aren't any games worth coughing up 600 dollars for?

    sony should just concentrate on making more systems and colaborate with developers a little bit better in order to get things to run smoothly otherwise we'll get stuck playing nothing but the few good exclusives they have to offer, WEAK!

  • vintine

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 10:18 pm PT

    Just like GT4 Mobile on PSP, Screw you Sony! LIAR!!!
    (Gonna play my GOW. cya!)

  • Zoomer30

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 9:39 pm PT

    And this is a shock? GT4 was a good YEAR late for the PS2, it was supposed to be a freking launch title With that kinda margin of error, software developers would make good weathermen.

  • Miguel16

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 1:24 pm PT

    f0orget abot Hd and just release GT5

  • nix6six6

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 5:57 am PT

    I think the reason they were delayed was so that when they come out there is actually a decent amount of consoles out there. With so few consoles available right now none of the PS3 software titles are selling.

  • ele975

    Posted Nov 25, 2006 1:27 am PT

    Hellgate: London is gonna kick ass. So i think we should give them all the time in the world to make this a perfect game

  • thekey

    Posted Nov 24, 2006 6:22 pm PT

    They might as well forget this Tech demo game (as well as that tired Final Fantasy 7 tech demo) and just get Grand tourismo 5 ready.

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Nov 24, 2006 12:36 pm PT

    Gran Turismo... for a game about race cars, the game always up end finishing last.

  • mark_unix

    Posted Nov 24, 2006 3:48 am PT

    Riverwolf007 letdown to fans everywhere???
    not here and not in any review, and online racing? just check your xbox360 online the demand for online racing is very small.

  • ratcliffe25

    Posted Nov 23, 2006 7:55 pm PT

    I hope the reason it has been delayed is that they have made the decision to put all the cars, tracks, etc on the game disc and make use of the blue-ray instead of blatantly leaving them out so they can then use micro transactions to get gamers to buy the rest of the game and spend twice as much as they should have to. If the latter is the case to me the purpose of the micro transactions should be for cars that have never been in the franchise before or are obscure cars that are unique to certain countries that don't get such material included in standard games for example, and as such have higher costs due to purchasing the rights or the extra time to develop. If all they are going to do is try and get people to buy 27 more versions of a Skyline or a Lancer to add to the 50 versions already in the game then forget it. I know with licensing and car manufacturers rights sometimes the game makers hands are tied but in order for Gran Turismo to make the next big step I think they need to start getting it done and have a more varied car stable. A Ferrari is a good start but the days of bragging about 600+ cars don't have the same oomph when a big percentage of that number is a bunch of cars that are reproduced with little more than a graphic on the side to tell them apart. Come on Polyphony you have the PS3 now and Blue-ray take your time if you need to but at the end of the day like the PS2 show us what the next generation can do.

  • Riverwolf007

    Posted Nov 23, 2006 7:23 pm PT

    GT4 was a letdown to fans everywhere. Now its getting an HD facelift and we are supposed to be happy with it. Further adding insult to injury is its getting delayed and pushing back work on a true sequel. The only rumor we have had of any online functionality is that cars and tracks are sold seperately.(which btw I personally can't believe) I mean come-on, no word on racing online yet? I suggest we all give Polyphony a very sincere thank you for the memories(which yes are right there on my memory cards) and move on. I bet most of you can name 2-3 (or more) racers you like better at this point.

  • GrimBee

    Posted Nov 23, 2006 2:52 pm PT

    I hope that GTHD is ready to go soon. This means gt5 is going to take YEARS or similar.
    I also hope that the delay has NOTHING to do with the sony online system.. especially purchasing items..

    What I mean is, I hope you aren't suckered into buying cars online. This would seriously damage the series imo, the selling point of the series has always been the vast choice of cars.. and with bluray I would hope there is a LACK of downloadable content.. as it should be on the discs that size ANYWAY!

    I wonder whats holding gthd up? Its just a straight port with some fancy things added... maybe they are adding car damage?

    naaaah.

  • yianaki

    Posted Nov 23, 2006 1:33 pm PT

    Phony F.or T.he L.oss! They can't do a single thing right. Only 125k consoles at launch including the 15k demo kiosks that just loop the same crap over and over at my gamestop wooo hoo. I don't know how they are going to get anyone to publish anything for this bluedeath ray device let alone Exclusives. You better love them 1st party games as I wouldn't be suprised if thats all you get Sony Defense Force fans.

    I only had a PS2 & PC this generation but this is such a horrible mess. They don't do any of the little things right. Hell they couldn't even copy the Xbox 360's superior interface that has been around since the first Xbox.

    Enjoy your 10,000$ PS3's folks. Well I wonder what Sony will do with their first N64 launch.

  • beestung

    Posted Nov 23, 2006 9:12 am PT

    The problem is, these "fabricated" release dates on gamestop.com are often spot on. I worked for Gamestop for three years and you have no idea the number of times I'd see a games release date get pushed back in our system and then a month or two later a story would pop up on Gamespot or IGN about Game X being delayed to the exact date Gamestop had it set for already. I also saw tons of games get revealed through product listings "magically" appearing in our system. Gamestop doesn't usually make this stuff up. When the dates are wrong it's usually pretty obvious, like when Halo 3 was listed for October '06 for awhile.

    Don't think for a second that publishers don't give heads up to the retailers when a game isn't going to make it out in the time it was previously expected. Sure the publishers don't set release dates but they work through the retailers so that when the dates change, they can claim that the game never actually had a date, it was all retail speculation.

  • ragnbull

    Posted Nov 23, 2006 8:29 am PT

    someone please tell me why I should buy a PS3 with only one good game to play (Resistance). I fail to see anything on the launch list worth the $600 price tag. I think I will stick to playing Gears of War, thank you very much.

  • LordAndrew

    Posted Nov 23, 2006 6:05 am PT

    It shouldn't take this long for Gran Turismo HD to come out. This is ridiculous.

  • SolInvictus-HGG

    Posted Nov 23, 2006 4:40 am PT

    Hellgate London is most assuredly on schedule. It's kind of silly that people would assume it's been delayed just because some nonsense date like 'November 2006' got shifted to 'Late 2007' by some retailer with no real date to post, just for the sake of boosting pre-orders. In any case, the game will be going into closed Friends & Family beta at the very end of 2006, and expanding into a larger beta at the beginning of 2007, which will then ramp up to an open beta very shortly before the game gets released. It would not surprise me to see the game out before Summer 2007.

  • BLaZe462

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 11:05 pm PT

    "We have never issued a release date for Hellgate: London, and to see 'stories' run off of the fabricated speculation provided by a retailer who in no way sets our release dates is, to say the least, disappointing. Hellgate: London continues on schedule and until you see a release window issued from Flagship Studios, do not believe it."

    Pwnt by Bill Roper himself..

    source:http://www.hellgateguru.com/

  • LittleYoshi

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 8:22 pm PT

    I wanted that game to be my first PS3 game! That sucks!
    Now I got to wait!!!!!!

  • axel2374

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 7:56 pm PT

    Not surprised in the least at another disappointing statement regarding the PS3.

  • rohver

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 6:19 pm PT

    okay, now I'm REAL MAD. I'ce been expecting Hellgate for two months and all I hear are delays and crap like that. I'm through waiting for this game.

  • Cloud987

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 5:40 pm PT

    II still see comments on GTHD....Let me reiterate...GTHD is NOT GT5!!! It will have a premium mode which is a warm up to GT5..the rest is GT4 in HD and online. A similar game was released in Japan with earlier Gran Turismo's. Trust me, the few glimpses we get of GT5 will be worth the price of admission alone. Besides that, the online play is set up to be one of the most robust online car experiences ever. Yes...it took forever for GT to get online, but they are doing some good things trust me...As long as they don't try to rip you off with the prices like EA-it's gonna be a huge online game!

  • The__Jer

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 5:29 pm PT

    ha rc guy 360 a waste of money we have 5 AAA titles(and more on the way) and no onther console does (yet), right now i see a ps3 as a waste of money.

  • GatoFeo

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 5:15 pm PT

    Dam, now I gotta wait for the Ps3 game to come out.

  • Alcotamaysees

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 3:29 pm PT

    Gran Turismo HD I can understand. But I thought Hellgate looked pretty damn ready. Oh well.

  • gamer_girl15

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 3:03 pm PT

    More waiting....

  • rc_guy24

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 1:48 pm PT

    OMG WOW COME ON SONY.. Im glad I didnt get one but it sucks now because I have to wait because 360 is still a waste of money in my eyes... If premium 360 was $300 and Core was $200 I still dont think I would buy one.. but come on Fear, Rainbow six vegas, Gran turismo Hd, I cant remember because there is so many delayed and cancelled.. only thing Im looking at is Resistance Fall of man, Turok, and Haze Hopefully they wont be delayed or cancelled for 360 or it will lean me more toward the 360..........

  • RhythmMan

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 12:00 pm PT

    This is another reason why I'm waiting 6 months before I even consider getting a PS3...

    I'm tired of Sony promising things they cant deliver, even in the PS2 days Sony reps came into the EB store I managed and lied to our faces about what was going to happen with the console/games.

    Trust Sony at your own expense!

  • GrimBee

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 11:28 am PT

    I wish the next Gran Turismo game wasn't just a rehash of gt4.. I wish it was a game which totally forced the ps3 out there to show what it can do, like gt3 aspec did for the ps2.

    People saw gt3 and went "ooh! now THATS not on the dreamcast!!" and people were stunned by that. But with games like forza 2, motorstorm, pgr3.. the gt series is really looking a bit flat imo.

    I would be annoyed with this news if it was a PROPER gt game, but its not.. I will be just as happy with gt4 for £10, not gthd for £50!
    Gran Turismo 5 would be THE definitive racing game on the ps3... if it gets the FUN aspect nailed ASWELL as the simulation side of things.. I will miss the rumble feature though

    And hellgate really isn't my kind of game... I want mgs4 news!! is that delayed?

  • danharlow

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 10:52 am PT

    Looks like Sony could use some good news ... and soon.

  • 360player_eq12

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 10:33 am PT

    forza coming soon to 360 will hold me over alot more then gt hd could anyway but gt 5 will make me want to use forza as a coaster

  • chaduma

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 10:26 am PT

    I would say all of this news is completely unsurprising. Gran Turismo, when HASN'T it been delayed? And a Blizzard game [or company made up of Blizzard employees], they never new how to make a release before, why would they learn now?!

  • Autolycus

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 9:57 am PT

    mikeslemonade
    Shutup to all the haters. This is the third best selling exclusive franchise behind final fantasy and pokemon, so shutup. It's gonna sell whether you like it or not.

    -----


    :insert buzzer noise here: WRONG. Do you have any idea how many people were dissppointed in gt4? a lot of them bought a 360 because forza was actually the better racing game(i have my regional and national skip barber license, so i know better then most).

  • ro-co-to

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 9:51 am PT

    I'll reiterate this: MS and nintendo are getting my money; Sony is slipping quite a bit. Time will tell if MS (in the US) will take over; I give the PS3 1 year. If in 1 year they're still leading the industry, then it will remain so but I can go out and get a 360 right now...

  • Blazer88

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 9:35 am PT

    Lol, typical Polyphony Digital, can't even get a rehashed, nothing but new graphics game out on time. Son't waste you money on that crap.

  • 42316

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 9:33 am PT

    At least I'll have time to build myself a kick a** pc in time to run HGL

  • ozzy225

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 9:33 am PT

    sony's always delaying things! look how long they delayed gran turismo 4!

  • 060390

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 9:12 am PT

    Hellgate London becomes Duke Nukem Forever. Nice

  • WolfSkill5544

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 8:53 am PT

    Oh well, what gives.

  • Digital-Hero

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 8:49 am PT

    "This way they can show GT:HD off at E3 again... kinda like the PS3. pretty sad"

    Why when E3 is not really the same again. Didn't you get the memo. E3 as we know it is done.

  • Autolycus

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 8:30 am PT

    the most INNOVATIVE game to ever come on a sony platform is shadow of collosus. bar none... but then again sony doesnt innovate(the cell is created mainly by IBM and sony paid for the rights)

  • Lepuke

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 8:08 am PT

    This way they can show GT:HD off at E3 again... kinda like the PS3. pretty sad

  • kinglink2

    Posted Nov 22, 2006 8:05 am PT

    GT HD should have been march or feburary. This delay just removes one of the two games I would even take system for (for free of course). The other is mercenaries and that's also a ways off and likely to be a 360 game also.

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