Gran Turismo Sport Introduces Microtransactions

Nine months after its release, Gran Turismo Sport has updated to introduce microtransactions.

This change comes with the July update. The official patch notes by developer Polyphony Digital details the new feature as allowing players to purchase certain in-game vehicles with real-world money instead of the usual in-game currency.

It notes that only vehicles costing under 2 million credits can be acquired this way. This means you still have to put in the hours if you want the best ride. Though something like the Mercedes-AMG GT S 2015 could be yours for $0.99. According to Eurogamer, the update is already live in Japan, where prices range from ¥100 and ¥300 (one to three US dollars).

Microtransactions are generally frowned upon in most gaming communities, though they continue to grow standard as the industry discovers the profitability they contain. This is more commonly tolerated in free games like Team Fortress 2, but considering that Gran Turismo Sport costs a full $60 dollars, I'm hard-pressed to believe that this will go over well.

Inversely, the widespread discontent with such monetization methods motivated developers Turn10 to remove their paid token and loot box features from competitor racing game Forza 7.

Of all of the feedback I've seen for Gran Turismo Sport, "why can't we just BUY the cars" wasn't one of them.