The founder of Polyphony Digital and creator of the Gran Turismo series, Kazunori Yamauchi, has taken to the PlayStation Blog to officially announce the delay of Gran Turismo Sport to 2017. No specific date has been given, just the release window of 2017.

While fans have been patiently waiting three years for Gran Turismo Sport, the delay shouldn't really come as a shock. Speaking with a Chinese outlet, Sina, in early August, Kazunori had revealed that only around 70 percent of the game was completed. This information caused quite a stir amongst fans, with many doubting whether the game will actually meet it's November deadline.

While no specific reason was given for the delay, Kazunori explains that the decision to delay the game just months out from it's initial November 15 launch date was very difficult. Gran Turismo Sport has been Polyphony Digital's most ambitious undertakings yet with Kazunori stating:

"As we approach our planned release date in November, we realize we need more time to perfect GT Sport, which we’ve already dedicated so much effort towards since announcing the title. We do not want to compromise the experience in any way. While we cannot confirm a new release date at this time, we are more committed than ever to making GT Sport the best Gran Turismo game to date."

Although the game may be delayed, don't expect it to just disappear as it will continue to be shown at several gaming events around the world. 

Do you think the delay is cause for concern? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

Last year, Polyphony Digital boss Kazunori Yamauchi said Gran Turismo 7 was only "a year or two away." This surprised fans of the franchise, as GT6 was slated to launch in December.

Well, the latest entry did indeed arrive in December, but Yamauchi isn't quite ready to officially announce the next installment (presumably in development exclusively for the PlayStation 4). The GT creator attended a GT6 stage event at the Taipei Game Show and he was good enough to answer a few fan questions, as cited by Game Watch (and translated by DualShockers).

When asked about GT7, Yamauchi responded:

Although our resources are currently focused on updating Gran Turismo 6, we’re also looking ahead. We’ll be able to announce it at some point in the future.

He did tease a currently unannounced new track for GT6. It will boast variation in elevation and run along the coast, which sounds beautiful. Most importantly, though, is the fact that this track will be the longest in franchise history: 27 km. Yep, even longer than the storied Nurburgring track, which comes in at about 26 km.

I say, take your time

Gran Turismo 6 is a massive game in its own right and Polyphony has big plans for downloadable content. While I'd be drooling to see GT7 on the PS4, I think we can be patient. Above all else, Yamauchi is a renowned perfectionist, so I don't want him to think he has to rush. GT's reputation requires every ounce of effort to maintain, Kazunori. You know that.