The November 3rd release of Gran Turismo 5 could, in theory, be under threat from the officials of the city of Siena in Tuscany in Italy.
The reason is that the Piazza del Campo is featured as the site of the Palio di Siena, which is a bareback horse race run around a D-shaped course in the piazza since 1656. And GT5 no only features the course, but also the flags and colours of the 17 districts which take part in the race.
Apparently the Consortium for the Protection of the Palio are upset, saying there will be a ‘diplomatic request’ to Sony to resolve the matter, but if that isn’t satisfactory, the city may ask lawyers to seize Gran Turismo 5 at its release. Apparently the problem comes from the unauthorized use of the district flags. And if you’re wondering why the race is so important, here’s a handy link to Wikipedia.
Considering Gran Turismo 5 has taken so long to get this close to release, I can imagine that either flags are being removed as I type, or someone is flying to Italy with a briefcase full of cash.
In the meantime, you can always remind yourself why ORD’s Tom Bowker is ‘pulling himself off in anticipation‘. Or make sure you get a copy by pre-ordering from the likes of Amazon, Game, or Play.com (which comes with an exclusive stealth model car pack featuring the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG and the Nissan GT-R GT500).
[…] The name suggests a new physical release which includes all of the DLC car packs since launch, and there’s the chance Turn 10 could cram in a few more extras to make the most of the Christmas market and to see if they can go up against the long, long, long-awaited release of Gran Turismo 5 at the start of November. (Assuming no added delays due to angry Italian flag fans). […]