Update (March 18, 2022): Gran Turismo 7's servers are now back online, making both its single-player career mode and multiplayer components accessible again. Developer Polyphony Digital released another update following the game’s server disruption alongside a statement about the issue.
Speaking in a blog post, the studio’s CEO and producer on Gran Turismo 7 Kazunori Yamauchi explained the need for extended server maintenance following the launch of the 1.07 update.
“Immediately before the release of the 1.07 update, we discovered an issue where the game would not start properly in some cases on product versions for the PS4 and PS5,” Yamauchi said.
“This was a rare issue that was not seen during tests on the development hardware or the QA sessions prior to the release, but in order to prioritize the safety of the save data of the users, we decided to interrupt the release of the 1.07 update, and to make a 1.08 correctional update.
“This is the reason for the delay. My sincere apologies for the late report to everyone.”
He went on to comment on GT7’s microtransactions and the reduction to in-game credit payouts that had been introduced in the 1.07 update to the anger of many fans.
Yamauchi said that while he wants users to enjoy the game's cars and races without microtransactions, “the pricing of cars is an important element that conveys their value and rarity, so I do think it’s important for it to be linked with the real-world prices.”
“I want to make GT7 a game in which you can enjoy a variety of cars lots of different ways, and if possible would like to try to avoid a situation where a player must mechanically keep replaying certain events over and over again.”
He concluded by asking fans to “watch over the growth of Gran Turismo 7 from a somewhat longer-term point of view”.
Original story (March 18, 2022): Unscheduled server maintenance has made Gran Turismo 7 largely unplayable for the past 24 hours, following the rollout of its latest update.
Much of the game’s content, including its single-player career mode and competitive multiplayer, can only be played if you’re connected over the internet to its servers. With those servers down, only Gran Turismo 7’s add-on arcade mode is available to play.
Developer Polyphony Digital initially took the servers offline for planned maintenance to accompany the release of the game’s 1.07 update. In a March 17 blog post, it announced the maintenance period had been extended. But it didn't mention what the underlying problem was, or for how long the servers would be offline. And we're still waiting for them to go live.
“Due to an issue found with Update 1.07, we are extending the current server maintenance period. We will confirm the completion time as soon as possible,” Polyphony said in the blog post.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and ask for your patience while we work to resolve the issue.”
That’s not the only problem affecting players. The new update has drastically reduced the credit payout earned by completing races. The patch requires you to grind for longer to unlock the game’s top-tier vehicles, pushing players towards GT7's costly microtransactions.
The update does promise some improvements though. According to the patch notes, it fixed a bug that made certain license tests and missions almost impossible to beat. It also introduced a new Broadcast Mode designed for YouTube and Twitch livestreamers. With that mode activated, all music tracks that may trigger copyright infringement will be removed from the game’s playlist. So livestreamers won't accidentally land themselves in any legal trouble.
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