How to be careful with the monetization of Gran Turismo 7

Gran Turismo 7 Monetisation Featured Ecran Partage

Gran Turismo 7 is a racing simulation game that was released on March 4, 2022. Developed by Polyphony Digital, this game was highly anticipated by racing simulation fans.

However, they were surprised to see several inconveniences at the launch of the game. Indeed, although the game is an excellent racing simulator, there are several things to consider before proceeding with the purchase.

Basic principle of the game

Gran Turismo 7 is a game in which you have to participate in motor racing competitions in order to earn credits (game money). Credits allow you to buy cars in order to collect them.

It is possible to buy about 425 cars, all of which are replicas of existing models in the world. What’s special here is that cars that are rare in the real world are also rare in the game. Technically, all cars are obtainable without paying additional amounts, but the game makes it difficult to buy and accumulate cars.

However, gambling is problematic in several places. Here’s what you need to pay attention to before you buy it.

The obligation to be connected to the internet at all times

If you intend to purchase the game, be aware that the game requires you to be connected to the internet at all times.

Here are some things to consider:

  • The single-player campaign mode also requires you to be connected to the internet.
  • Progress made in offline modes is not saved if the console is not connected to the internet.
  • If the internet connection is lost during a game, the game will end and you will have to start again the game mode or the race that was in progress. No credit will be earned if this is the case.
  • Developers may need to pause the operation of their servers during major updates. For example, in April 2022, the game was not accessible for more than 24 hours due to a major update.

The reason why the game requires to be connected to the internet constantly is, according to the developers, to prevent people from hacking the game in order to obtain credits (game money) illegally or to cheat during races.

While this is a very valid reason, some find it a shame that the main campaign, which is played solo against artificial intelligences, is not available without an internet connection. Indeed, it makes very little sense.

If you have an unstable internet connection, the gaming sessions will undoubtedly be very frustrating.

How gambling pushes the consumer to spend

Car prices

As in real life, the cars that are on sale in the game are expensive. It will therefore be necessary to accumulate a lot of credits in order to be able to buy the coveted cars. A system ensures that the price of cars and their rarity are similar to what is in the real world. So a rare and expensive car in the real world will be in the game.

Emphasis is placed on the importance of collecting cars. This means that to own all 425 cars in the game, you will have to pay a lot of credits.

Grinding

Grinding is the action of having to perform repetitive tasks in order to achieve a particular goal in a video game.

The main campaign (the main mode of the game) gives few credits. So even for someone who does well in the game, it will take several hours to do the same races over and over again in order to earn credits. For beginners to racing games, grinding can be very frustrating.

Possibility to buy credits.

Indeed, the game allows you to buy credits with real money.

Theoretically, if someone wants to buy all the cars in the game with real money, it is possible to shell out hundreds of dollars in order to get there.

It is possible not to shell out any real money to get cars. However, this can prove to be a real challenge for someone who wants to collect as many cars as possible.

The different amounts of credits that it is possible to buy with real money. Do not forget to add taxes to the amount! Image source: Official website of Gran Turismo 7.

The most expensive car in the game costs 10 million credits. A person who wants to buy it by paying exclusively with real currency has to buy the bundle of 2 million credits 5 times, which gives a total of $ 155.16 with taxes, which is very expensive for a virtual car.

Be aware that there is a limit of credits that can be obtained through the different modes of the game. It is possible to accumulate a maximum of 100 million credits, after which, the credits earned are more counted to me. It is difficult to reach this limit: more experienced players may be able to reach it with patience.

However, there is no limit to credits that are purchased with real money, which further motivates their purchase.

Fear of missing out

Or “fear of missing/missing something,” involves putting a time limit on earnable rewards, which creates a sense of urgency in accomplishing a goal or buying something in order to get them.

Gran Turismo 7 uses this mechanism by putting a time limit on the availability of cars that are purchasable in the game store. Knowing that cars will soon disappear from the store and that they will not reappear for a while, this can motivate their hasty purchase.

Game Updates

Polyphony Digital seems to have heard from the fans. The studio has announced that it will make updates to improve the player experience, including some of the frustrations players experience with microtransactions.

The following updates are already available:

  • Increase in rewards received for the success of several modes and circuits;
  • Increase in the maximum number of unpurchased credits that can be accumulated in the portfolio from 20 million to 100 million credits (which is a fairly high number that few players will reach);
  • Increased frequency of appearance of certain cars in the game store;
  • Increase in the number of challenges that can be completed in the more than one mode of the game;
  • Ability to sell cars in order to accumulate credits.

Polyphony Digital says more will arrive shortly.

Do I buy the game? Or not?

The game is aimed at people who:

  • are fans of racing simulation games;
  • are fans of cars;
  • are patient and who love grinding or who are not embarrassed to spend money on a game already at full price;
  • have a stable internet connection.

If you don’t meet these criteria, the game is not for you. Many were disappointed to see that even for a game at full price, to advance quickly in the game, you have to spend a lot of money. Others still had a real pleasure playing Gran Turismo 7. The quality of the mechanics and graphics is really impressive.

Be careful at the time of purchase, it’s worth thinking about it properly!

About François Néron

Étudiant à la maitrise en orientation professionnelle, François a un intérêt pour tout ce qui concerne le développement de la carrière et l'emploi. Il a une passion marquée pour les jeux vidéo, mais aussi pour la psychologie qui les entoure.

View all posts by François Néron