The latest update for Gran Turismo 7 has arrived, but it hasn't been warmly received by the community. The patch drastically reduces the credit payout of races, requiring longer grinds to unlock the game's top cars – pushing players towards microtransactions.
Credits are the basic currency in Gran Turismo 7, used to purchase new cars, cosmetics, and upgraded components which you can kit out your vehicles with. You can earn them by completing races or, if you’re so inclined, purchase them through microtransactions using real-world cash.
This latest update, however, drastically reduces the number of credits earned by completing races. In some cases, by up to as much as a half. As a Reddit thread details, races like Fisherman’s Ranch have dropped from paying 65k credits to 30k credits; Goodwood’s payout has fallen from 35k to 12k; and Suzuka Circuit’s has been lowered from 75k to 50k. That pattern can be seen across the board, with players recording nearly two dozen races now paying significantly less than they did before the Gran Turismo 7 update 1.07.
Although some of the game’s vehicles will cost you only a few thousand credits, GT7’s Legendary-tier cars will set you back millions. The Alfa Romero 155 costs 800k credits; the Toyota Supra GT500 1.5M credits; and the Ferrari F50 a staggering 3.3M.
Players looking to collect every car in the game, as is the primary challenge of every Gran Turismo, will now have to spend even longer grinding races to rack up the necessary credits.
That grind will inevitably push some towards GT7’s costly microtransactions. You can buy packs of credits through the PlayStation Store, but they don’t come cheap. Four packs are available:
- 100k credits: $2.49 / £1.99
- 200k credits: $4.99 / £3.99
- 750k credits: $9.99 / £7.99
- 2M credits: $19.99 / $15.99
Given the cost of GT7’s cars and the upgrade parts you’ll want to add to your rides, the amount of cash you can spend on the game quickly adds up. And that’s on top of the $89.99 / £69.99 / AU$ $109.95 you’ll have to pay to pick up a copy of the game. Worse, as VGC reported when the game launched, GT7’s microtransactions are also significantly more expensive than its predecessor, Gran Turismo Sport, inflating its in-game expenses even further.
It’s not all bad news though. The update did fix an issue that made it almost impossible for players to beat certain license tests and missions. It also introduces a new Broadcast mode designed for YouTube and Twitch livestreamers. Turn that mode on in the Sound Volume settings, and all music tracks that may trigger copyright infringement will be removed from the game’s BGM playlist.
Analysis: microtransactions are king
This update encourages players to rely on microtransactions to complete their GT7 car collection by arbitrarily restricting the number of credits earned through races. That’s a particularly aggressive strategy that doesn’t sit well in an already expensive videogame.
The changes are particularly infuriating as there was little to suggest the game’s credit payouts needed changing. GT7 players were already finding it challenging to earn enough credits to unlock the game’s top-tier cars. There seems to be little reason for developer Polyphony to have implemented these changes other than to push players towards microtransactions.
It's not going unnoticed by the community either. Players are voicing their anger over the payout changes on GT7’s subreddit. Some who aren’t prepared to stick with the long grind are suggesting they’ll leave the game until payouts are raised to a more reasonable level.
Polyphony’s aggressive use of microtransactions is doubly disappointing in light of GT7’s fabulous core gameplay. In our Gran Turismo 7 review, we said it is “the best entry in the long-running series” that “sets the bar astronomically high for all future racing sims”. Let's hope that isn't soured for long.
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