I've never really been into racing games, but even I'm excited for Gran Turismo 5. Doing a little research on the series, I've really gained a lot of respect for GT, and will almost definitely purchase GT5 (never thought I would purchase a racing game). Anyways, in my research, I looked up past sales of GT3 and GT4 on ps2. I was surprised by the significantly decreased sales of GT4 compared to GT3 (GT4-->10.52million; GT3-->14.89million), and realized that it is entirely due to a SIGNIFICANT decrease in sales in the Americas! GT3: Americas-->7.14mill VS. GT4: Americas-->2.79mill!!!!  What is that??? That's a HUGE loss of support in the Americas! An additional note...Americas used to beat out Others in sales or at least be close for all the other GT's. Others' sales only get bigger with each new GT, but since GT4 (including GT5:P), Americas' sales are decreasing and are no where close to Others'...

Anyways, thoughts?? This is kind of disappointing to me, but I really hope that GT5 revives the series in the Americas.

(side note....I've been thinking this for a while:  While I wish GT5 wasn't taking so long to release, it isn't the only game that's been continuously delayed/taken a long time for production. Alan Wake will have been in production for 6 years when it will finally be released this May...if it indeed does release then...plus, Splinter Cell: Conviction has been delayed a crazy amount of times and been in production for many years also; yet it seems people are bashing GT5 for the time situation a lot more than these other games.)

Its the same as with JRPGs in America
they just aren that popular how they used to be
but i think GT5 can hit 3-4 million in america lifetime, its 6 years since the last real GT came out and this game will be hyped and marketed like the second coming of christ
personally, i cant wait! :D

Many of those copies of GT3 were given free as pack-in software IIRC, and on top of that GT is the sort of game where most people can be satisfied with one per console due to the massive content.

Think it's due to the lack of bundles.

Forza

idk, i guess things changed and Shooter Games like Halo Were More interesting then racing games in America
Guessing that's why they added NASCAR. Doubt it will help much.

Did you also notice that the first GT of the Gen sells better than the second? That pattern might have something to do with it.

Also keep in mind, we don't have precise data for the first two. We don't have any evidence that GT3 wasn't the sole aberration. In fact, that'd make sense considering the pack-ins. It could, and probably is, a simple case of the game always having been more popular in Europe.

Bundles, nearly all early PS2 consoles had GT 3 : A Spec.
i know because i have 2 of them (the Ps2 bundles i mean't) =s

2nd GT in the same console = less sales
plus
GT3 was heavily bundled in US
plus
GT5 now has NASCAR so those sales will rise a lot.