Gran Turismo 7’s Pricey Microtransactions Are Stirring Up Controversy

Gran Turismo 7’s microtransactions have been the subject of criticism on social media. Games are expensive and games with pay-to-win mechanics, who should be allowed to play?

Gran Turismo 7’s Microtransactions are a hot topic. The game is expensive and some gamers are not happy about it. Gran Turismo 7’s microtransactions have caused controversy on Reddit.

Polyphony Digital (photo credit: Polyphony Digital)

Gran Turismo 7 was officially released for PlayStation players yesterday, but the introduction of the seventh iteration of Polyphony Digital’s acclaimed racing series wasn’t without controversy, thanks in part to the game’s new microtransaction system.

Instead of being able to sell or purchase automobiles separately at predetermined pricing, Sony opted to focus on credit packs, which are available in the quantities shown below, as spelled out by VGC:

$2.49 / £1.99 for 100,000 credits
$4.99 / £3.99 for 250,000 credits
$9.99 / £7.99 for 750,000 credits
$19.99 / £15.99 for 2,000,000 credits

So, what’s the deal? So, here’s what some of the higher-performance automobile pricing are said to be:

In GT 7, 3,300,000 credits are available for the Aston Martin Vulcan ’16 ($4.99 in GT Sport).
McLaren P1 GTR ’16 – 3,600,000 credits in GT 7 ($4.99 in GT Sport)
3,000,000 credits in GT 7 with the Audi R18 TDI ’11 ($2.99 in GT Sport).

That seems to be a significant sum of money for a single vehicle. The discrepancy between Gran Turismo 7 and its predecessor, GT Sport, is also mind-boggling, not to mention the credit package structure, which might lead to players spending more money than they need to if they’re not cautious.

Eurogamer has even posted a screenshot of a 1929 Mercedes-Benz S Barker Tourer with a price tag of 20 million credits (about $200).

Eurogamer image

On the other hand, die-hard Gran Turismo fans argue that the microtransactions are unimportant since players can still earn credits to buy cars by grinding through the game’s races and challenges, making spending cash for cars totally optional. However, this hasn’t prevented some critics from accusing Sony and Polyphony of being greedy.

The new microtransactions in Gran Turismo 7 are fairly bleak. (Eurogamer)

Players may buy specific vehicles for a defined price in Gran Turismo Sport, which was provided as a post-launch upgrade, with only those worth up to 2 million in-game credits accessible for purchase.
Gran Turismo 7, on the other hand, removes that limitation and just sells in-game money, with prices ranging from £1.99 for 100,000 credits to £15.99 for 2,000,000 credits.
It’s difficult to sell vehicles from your own collection, unlike previous Gran Turismo games, and a new Legend Automobiles section on the World Map has a rotating selection of the game’s most costly cars.