Kazunori Yamauchi Greets GT5 Fans In Madrid

The opportunity was one in a million; the possibility of enjoying Gran Turismo 5 one day before everyone else and having it signed by Kazunori Yamauchi is something truly special. Not the cold, nor the Real Madrid game, or even the fact that it was a Tuesday was an obstacle for the PlayStation fans, in particular the fans of this gaming series, to line up all day in front of the Game store on Preciados street in Madrid. The security of the store told us: “some have been here in line since morning”.

And it’s the truth. Antonio, 19 years old and studying Business Administration, arrived at 11 in the morning. He is the first one in a long line that finishes at the end of this long street. But he didn’t come just to get the game one day early, but also for the chance to see Kazunori Yamauchi. It’s very rare that a game and it’s designer share such a special rapport in the eyes of it’s fans.

And it’s not difficult to understand, due to the warm, friendly personality that the genius behind Gran Turismo 5 and Polyphony Digital Inc. radiates. Always with a smile on his face, Kazunori Yamauchi attended all the fans that came out to have their idol sign their copy of Gran Turismo 5. And not only that, he signed PS3‘s and, for some nostalgic fans, he signed the PS2 games of this series.

For one hour the only people that weren’t having a great time was the poor workers of the Game store on Preciados who had to deal with an avalanche of gamers who wanted to get their copy of Gran Turismo 5 before anyone else. Nobody went home unhappy because, after those 60 special minutes, Kazunori left and continued signing autographs for the fans who were on the street and taking pictures with everyone who came near him. Afterwards he went just like he came: with a happy smile on his face and sitting inside a beautiful red Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.