Recent issues with the latest Gran Turismo 7 update and the subject of Gran Turismo 7 microtransactions have been addressed in a new letter by Polyphony Digital CEO Kazunori Yamauchi.
Gran Turismo 7 is the latest game in the long-running Gran Turismo franchise. The game was delayed to late 2021 and delayed again to early 2022, finally launching earlier this month. Although the devs have plans for a ton of new content, some players aren't too happy with the Gran Turismo 7 microtransactions -- especially after a number of changes in the latest update. These changes have been addressed in a new letter from Polyphony Digital CEO Kazunori Yamauchi.
The Paradox of Gran Turismo 7 Microtransactions
A new letter from Polyphony Digital CEO Kazunori Yamauchi has been released, addressing the problems of the latest update and the issues with Gran Turismo 7 microtransactions (via Reddit).
On the subject of the latest Gran Turismo 7 update, Yamauchi says that a "rare issue not seen during tests" would prevent the game from starting properly. This issue was discovered at the last minute, so the devs delayed the release of the update.
The second half of the letter addresses the dicey subject of microtransactions. Yesterday, it was revealed that several races have had their payouts changed, most notably by reducing the payout of several races that players were repeatedly playing to earn enough credits for the game's cars -- some of which cost as much as eight times the price of their Gran Turismo Sport counterparts.
Here's what Kazunori Yamauchi had to say on the subject of Gran Turismo 7 microtransactions:
Also in this update, some event rewards have been adjusted. I wanted to also explain the reasons for it and our plans going forward.
In GT7 I would like to have users enjoy lots of cars and races even without microtransactions.
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.
These paragraphs, in particular, show somewhat contradictory positions. It's impossible to avoid players "replaying certain events over and over again" when the game's prices are as high as they are unless they choose to spend real-world money -- and the prices aren't all that cheap even if you do pony up some cash.
Consider the fact that races will have credit payouts ranging from 5,000-75,000 credits; some of the more expensive cars cost in excess of three million credits. The most expensive credits pack is $19.99 for 2 million credits, so it would cost you $40 to buy one of these supercars and have a million (or fewer) credits left over. And this is in a $70 premium game, not some free-to-play title.
Regardless, Polyphony Digital's CEO has explained the reasoning behind the Gran Turismo 7 microtransactions (baffling as it is). You can buy Gran Turismo 7 for PS4 and PS5 for $69.99 or your regional equivalent, but you'll probably want to set aside a few bucks to buy credits, too.
