Gran Turismo Sport Introduces Microtransactions In Latest Update
With the arrival of Gran Turismo Sport's major July content update which added a brand new track, 7 new vehicles and more, Polyphony Digital have also introduced microtransactions - after stating in the past that microtransactions will not come to Gran Turismo Sport.
In August 2017, Gran Turismo producer Kazunori Yamauchi confirmed during a PlayStation Experience event in Malaysia that Gran Turismo Sport will not feature microtransactions when asked by a fan. Now almost a year later, microtransactions have been added.
Gran Turismo Sport's microtransactions work in the form of being able to purchase certain vehicles from the PlayStation Store. While these are only live in Japan, these vehicles can range from ¥100 to ¥300 (roughly $0.90–$2.70 USD).
Polyphony Digital released the following information alongside the patch notes:
Cars that cost less than 2,000,000 in-game Cr. can now be purchased directly through the PS Store, in addition to your standard in-game purchases. The service start date will vary depending on the region.
– Asia Region and Americas Region: July 30
– EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) Region and Oceania region: August 2
In comparison, Gran Turismo 6 introduced the controversial feature in the form of credit packs to purchase in-game money with real world money. The biggest issue with GT Sport's microtransactions is how they only apply for vehicles under 2m credits, and not for vehicles that can cost up to 10-20m.
While this is an unexpected move and one we're not a fan of, it does seem fair on Polyphony's part to do so. Since launch the studio has added 60+ new vehicles, new tracks, overhauled the online-only system, added a traditional single-player campaign with 3 new cups added each update and more, all free of charge with no paid DLC anywhere to found.
Additionally, there are also options in the games settings to hide the "Buy from PlayStation Store", however this surely won't stop clickbait websites from not mentioning GT Sport's continuous free content updates or stupid petitions to try remove them.
What do you think of Gran Turismo Sport's addition of microtransactions? Are you fine with Polyphony having the option for players to purchase cars as would help support more free content in the future, or do you feel as if this is a step in the wrong direction?