Oh no doubt its still very early in terms of getting the puzzle pieces to mesh together. And if its true that it won’t be playable on XB1, puts it outside the [supposed] release window where games are implied to still be playable on XB1. So still a way to go.
Which probably put them between a rock and a hard place: having to be present for Microsoft’s event; but can’t get away with just having a title card.
And that’s probably why I’m feeling a little negative towards the trailer. Ideally it would have been revealed later down the line. But had to be thrown together as part of a different marketing push.

Yes, I think early very much comes into the stage of process, so still adding and building components. They’ve probably been working on the game for 2-3 years, but to catch Gran Turismo, they need to build a Gran Turismo and that always takes many years. We’ve got whole new graphics and physics systems to develop, new technologies with R&D depts working overtime. I’ll discuss this all more in a separate article.

That said I do like the artstyle/aesthetic of Forza, like the over the top thunderstorms in 7. I find games like Gran Turismo come off as too clean and flat in a sense. I don’t mind a little visual flourish, that while not 100% realistic, at least adds some form of life/atmosphere to it.