A visit from Taku Imasaki at the PlayStation Blog sparked interest, not merely for his presence but for the news he brought with him.

In response to a query by user ozzyuno regarding the existence of in-game chat in the online mode of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, the SCEA producer replied: "private races with buddies and in-game chat are all in the works… but will not be ready from day one. Will keep you posted on the progress!"

Well that sure sounds promising. For a title that's been touted as being just a demo, it sure looks to be proving everyone wrong. But of course, we'll have to keep that as an assumption for now until we actually see the final product.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue launches in Europe via the PSN next week, March 27. Do keep it posted here on QJ for any more updates on the progress of the in-game chat and private races online. We're sure you'd love to hear about those.