I see we're still doom posting in year two of a game...
The fact of the matter is PD's support for GT7 has dropped off a cliff. One new track in 8 months is not just disappointing, it feels like a very pointed move by PD, and is indicative of their lack of support for this title. The DLC car selection has been anaemic, misjudged, and out of touch. The lack of long promised (by Kaz himself) features & events such as Endurance races, there'll be no need to grind, hasn't been delivered. Month in, month out we're getting a handful of events without any thought, passion or enthusiasm. Missions, the one area of the game that delivers intriguing races, hasn't been updated for some 6-12 months.
That's the most damning aspect for me, it feels like Kaz & PD have lost their passion. Or at least are focused on aspects of car culture (photography/scapes, VGT's, curiosities) that don't lend themselves well to a videogame.
Let's be absolutely clear. Any long-time GT player could improve GT7 ten-fold if given a role as producer/content director at PD within no time at all. PD don't even need to add a single new car or track to transform this game and increase engagement. For online play we need official Shuffle races to engage the wider playerbase who couldn't give a **** about serious GTWS events. For Daily races we need payouts increased substantially (particularly top 3 finishes) to encourage more players. GTWS is the one area where PD does deliver....unfortunately this is only of real interest to elite online players.
On the single-player front every event needs payouts increased by a factor of 3x or more. The handful of grinding events that deliver 700k+ need to be the norm in terms of payout per mile driven. At the drop of a hat you would see the playerbase re-energised and incentivised to try the great content PD have actually put in the game!
It goes without saying Endurance races are long overdue. How difficult is it to add a selection of 2hr, 6hr, 12hr, 24hr events? I'm not even overly concerned if the AI is as dumb as ever. There's satisfaction in simply completing such demanding events. Better still if the credit reward makes it worthwhile.
Missions are another area that's so easy to expand & improve. Many of the events are highly enjoyable and repeatable with different cars. But with only one payout how many people are going to dedicate 1hr to a tough Mission once they've completed it? Why aren't there a slew of drift events, drag races, even basic cone challenges with different types of cars? So much of this is not about adding new content (cars & tracks), or even new ideas. It's about expanding upon what's already in GT7. Likewise, where are the traditional themed GT series for Gr.1, Gr.2, Gr.3, Gr.4, Super Formula, Classic F1 and so on? Where are the single-make series for MX-5's, 4WD cars, Classics etc. Why doesn't every track have one of each of these races?
Oh, and where is GT Sophy? One aspect of the game that received almost universal praise. We had a taste of it, then it was swept away back into development hell. Once again, is it really so difficult to keep those events for new (and old) players to try? Or even switch up the cars each each moth to provide a new challenge? All the while Sony AI can work on a more sophisticated version that can be implemented game wide.
Sorry if you think that's doom posting. I think it shows Kaz, PD, and those associated with GT7 are fundamentally out of touch with their playerbase. It's all in stark contrast to the passion shown by the iRacing team who are hitting all the right beats, every new announcement being greeted with approval.
This is crunch time for PD & GT7. The slow summer months can be frustrating, but if they carry on in this vein for the ever important Q4 period, on the back of a major movie, and with high profile rivals on other platforms. Then I will absolutely stand by my belief PD have already moved their efforts to GT8. TBH, I wouldn't blame them as PS4 is now a dead platform, it's wasted resources supporting it, and Sony's focus as a business is PS5(Pro). But I'd like them to communicate their plans like other devs routinely do. Rather than dedicating their social media channels to being Fraga's PR outlet and telling us how great the best 1% of players are.
Frankly, most GT player don't care about this stuff. They want a traditional, single-player focused, Gran Turismo, with the focus on the passion for cars & car culture.