Sony’s Online Decisions Come Back To Haunt Them With Gran Turismo Sport
I’ve talked about Sony’s numerous problems in the past on this blog, and I won’t regurgitate them for you now. But one of their key decisions with feature implementation looks to be coming back to bite them when it comes to Gran Turismo Sport.
The game released six or so years ago for PlayStation 4, and though fans couldn’t get enough of it, it had its fair share of problems. And those problems will become evident when the servers go offline on January 31.
One main reason I didn’t get into the game was its limited accessibility offline. You could still partake in races and everything like that, but somewhere along the way in this game’s development, there was a decision made between Sony and Polyphony Digital. It seems that the game requires some sort of online connection to save your progress. I’m not kidding.
You had to log in online to save your offline progress within the game. Does that even make any sense?
Fans accepted it and raced on for several years, even with the release of Gran Turismo 7. But like all classic racers, Sport’s ride will come to an end when the server goes offline later this month.
Sony hasn’t addressed whether it’ll patch in the ability to save offline or not when the game’s servers go. More than likely not, since its focus has now turned to Gran Turismo 7 and the features that it currently offers. But, man, way to shank your audience based on one poorly made decision.
I get that some games have to be “sunsetted,” as the term goes. Sometimes older games just don’t get the attention they used to, and, thus, in an effort to save money, servers have to be taken offline. But very rarely do we see a game completely shut down as a result, since sometimes you can still access them offline, like many of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 racing games.
Another example of this is The Crew, which will drive off into the sunset this March. But Ubisoft made it free and clear that the game wouldn’t be playable one this happens. (Well, mostly — I think the Xbox 360 version will still be able to operate somehow, but don’t quote me on that.) I dunno if that’s an online decision as well or not, but it’s unfortunate for those that spent money on it and will now have nothing to show for it.
But Sport is a little more dire because its problems could’ve easily been avoided. Had Sony just made the offline saves available and kept the campaign the way it was, players could continue driving on like champs. Without a patch to fix this, it just means that players will be able to drive and drive, unable to save their progress (unless they get creative and find some sort of workaround, which I assume they’ll share online).
Hopefully this’ll serve as a lesson when it comes to certain games. There are plenty of single player affairs out there, and most developers know that the best way to save or access certain features is to do it offline, without the requirement of a login. Of course, some games are too big to do that, like Modern Warfare III, which, in a few years’ time, will likely go the way of the dodo as well.
But, honestly, I hope some folks take away from this and continue to find a way to keep their games accessible over time. Because, otherwise, it robs a lot of players out there and leaves them shorthanded. Sony should, at the very least, look into one final patch to give Sport fans the send-off they deserve. Otherwise, they could potentially shrink the audience that should be there for Gran Turismo 8.
Just my two cents. I’m not a huge fan of Sport, since I usually race in Forza county now. But I know a few that are, and I totally feel for them.
Anyway, have a great weekend everyone, and thanks for reading!
