Gamezine have dug up a forum post by an allegedly trustworthy member of the GTPlanet community, a large Gran Turismo forum and website. There are some cryptic whisperings on the forum post which you can see after the jump, as well as their interpretations, which include such things as a 2009 release, a track editor, and over 600 cars and 90+ tracks.
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Polyphony Digital is not just in the game-making industry anymore; now they’re in the restaurant business. At the Twin Ring Motegi race circuit in Japan, they’ve opened the Gran Turismo Cafe.

The cafe opened last week, with staff being equipped with the image of Gran Tursimo. Other than food, they have PlayStation 3 play booths where visitors can play some Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.

We’re waiting on actual pictures of the place. I’m sure they’ll appear on the internet soon enough.

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GTPlanet report that Sony’s chief executive in Southern Europe, James Armstrong, has stated that the release of Gran Turismo 5, the latest installment of the acclaimed series, is set for Christmas ‘09. In a statement to Spainish newspaper El Financiero, Armstrong said that he is in the process of developing “the new version of Gran Turismo, which will arrive at Christmas [2009].” He also mentions a new “thriller” game, adding “the player may be designing their own history.” A little early to speculate on that, perhaps.

Either way, it looks like Gran Turismo 5 is set for next winter, in time for the Christmas rush. Makes sense; it is one of the PlayStation’s bigger franchises, after all. The prestige around the series means that GT5 is certain to be highly realistic and a treat for fans of the series, so whenever it comes out, I’m sure plenty of people will be happy. Any thoughts? Will you be buying the game on release? Let us know in the comments.

According to Variety, Sony plans to launch a new “On Demand” service for the Playstation 3 early next year in Japan, with motoring videos as the initial draw. Read more…