Gran Turismo 7's troubled update ramps up the grind
While Polyphony suggests fixes are coming.
After more than 24 hours offline - rendering a game whose single-player mode needs an internet connection almost entirely unplayable - Gran Turismo 7's big patch is finally live and, as feared, it nerfs the credit payout of several events that had become favourite grinding spots for players.
It's a move that has caused considerable consternation amongst the Gran Turismo community, and understandably so given the ability to buy in-game currency on the PlayStation Store, with the game's miserly in-game economy seemingly pushing players towards microtransactions. It's feedback that hasn't gone unnoticed, with the update accompanied by a note from series creator Kazunori Yamauchi.
"In GT7 I would like to have users enjoy lots of cars and races even without microtransactions," Yamauchi wrote. "At the same time the pricing of cars is an important element that conveys their value and rarity, so I do think it's important for it to be linked with the real world prices. I want to make GT7 a game in which you can enjoy a variety of cars lots of different ways, and if possible would like to try to avoid a situation where a player must mechanically keep replaying certain events over and over again.
"We will in time let you know the update plans for additional content, additional race events and additional features that will constructively resolve this. It pains me that I can't explain the details regarding this at this moment, but we plan on continuing to revise GT7 so that as many players as possible can enjoy the game. We would really appreciate it if everyone could watch over the growth of Gran Turismo 7 from a somewhat longer term point of view."
In the meantime I'm sure lots of players would appreciate it if they could play their £70 game rather than have it unusable for over 24 hours, and I'd appreciate it if I could afford at least one of the rare cars without having to put in the equivalent of a full 24 hour race, but we can't all get our own way.
Elsewhere in the update the multiplayer issues that Gran Turismo 7 has seen at launch - namely that it pushed players towards in-depth customisation rather than offering up a simple way to race online - has been addressed with a new selection of races with more straightforward restrictions, as well as details of the Nations Cup and Manufacturers Cups that will be kicking off next week.