Compete Against Red Bull's Super Formula Pros in a GT Sport Online Competition

[GTPNewsWire]

This is the discussion thread for a recent post on GTPlanet:

Compete Against Red Bull's Super Formula Pros in a GT Sport Online Competition

This article was published by Andrew Evans (@Famine) on April 27th, 2020 in the Gran Turismo Sport category.

 

[theschledy]

This seemed kinda cool until I read "all you need is a Japanese PSN account".

The amount of bias towards Japan is getting increasingly annoying.

 

[SpeedStarGTS]

We need more Event like this b^_^)b

 

[MIE1992]

It's really too bad that it seems like Japan gets to make the most out of the championship and Sport Mode Time Trial modes. Hopefully they'll get expanded upon in the next game. Or maybe the special championships/time trials are reserved for having real-world prizes. It would seem as such, judging from this time trial, the FIAGTCs, and the GR Supra Cup. Maybe some more "casual" championships - still with points and whatnot, just not any real-life prizes on offer - could be in a future game, and could be modeled on campaign mode events, like Boxer Spirit.

Alternatively, I'd hope more organizing bodies in general get interested in the infrastructure of the championships and Sport Mode Time Trials, like the SCCA or IMSA. Especially since both of those bodies - and even NASCAR and IndyCar - are under the FIA umbrella. But yeah, it'd be nice if there could be more specialized or localized events, rather than the international free-for-all that is the FIAGTCs. It just reinforces my idea that GT Sport is a prologue to something greater, and has tons of potential for its features to be further developed, like the livery editor and the mobile app.

 

[Famine]

This seemed kinda cool until I read "all you need is a Japanese PSN account".

It's not hard to get a Japanese PSN account. The screenshot in the article is from mine...

The amount of bias towards Japan is getting increasingly annoying.

In what sense? Japanese players will have access to a time trial event that lasts a grand total of a week. They also had access to another one because the National Sports Festival chose GT Sport as an event in its esports category - rather than for any reasons of PD/Sony bias towards Japanese players. That's pretty much it - everything else is global. There was an event back in GT5 days - Red Bull 5G - that was Japan only, but since Japan never got to compete in any GT Academy event ever, that's hardly tipping the balance towards Japan.

Gran Turismo, the Japanese game from the Japanese developer at the Japanese publisher, has always had a significant amount of Japanese content in the games - though this has lessened as a proportion as time has gone on.

 

[kjeldsen]

This seemed kinda cool until I read "all you need is a Japanese PSN account".

The amount of bias towards Japan is getting increasingly annoying.

Imagine being from Japan and judging games from USA and Europe the same way...

 

[Veinz]

Leave the prizes for Japan but at least make it available to everyone! $300 in Alpha Tauri clothes will probably be like 2 or 3 shirts anyway.

 

[Phaceless_Ph]

This seemed kinda cool until I read "all you need is a Japanese PSN account".

The amount of bias towards Japan is getting increasingly annoying.

They're a Japanese studio, based in Japan, it's not biased, it's local market activity.

 

[theschledy]

It's not hard to get a Japanese PSN account. The screenshot in the article is from mine...

In what sense? Japanese players will have access to a time trial event that lasts a grand total of a week. They also had access to another one because the National Sports Festival chose GT Sport as an event in its esports category - rather than for any reasons of PD/Sony bias towards Japanese players. That's pretty much it - everything else is global. There was an event back in GT5 days - Red Bull 5G - that was Japan only, but since Japan never got to compete in any GT Academy event ever, that's hardly tipping the balance towards Japan.

Gran Turismo, the Japanese game from the Japanese developer at the Japanese publisher, has always had a significant amount of Japanese content in the games - though this has lessened as a proportion as time has gone on.

It sucks seeing Japan get all the extra events. Basically this sentiment is saying I should look for a racing game made by a North American Game developer. Yes I could make another PSN account, but if PD really wanted me to take part in this they would have made it more available. Plus I doubt PD or Sony actually want me to make another PSN account.

At the end of the day I get that they're a Japanese developer, but as someone in North America am I expected to be happy about this?

Leave the prizes for Japan but at least make it available to everyone! $300 in Alpha Tauri clothes will probably be like 2 or 3 shirts anyway.

Here's a perfectly logical solution, but as always GT Sport goes the other way.

 

[Famine]

It sucks seeing Japan get all the extra events.

All the? It's one extra event - one of only two that I can recall, and three if you think the NSF one counts. Crucially, they're not GT Sport events.

This is a Red Bull event, which it's chosen GT Sport to host. There was also a Porsche event in 2019 that was managed by Porsche Motorsport Japan, which it chose GT to host. The National Sports Festival events are of course part of the esports arm of the event, for which GT Sport has been chosen.


If you want to change things, have a word with your local car manufacturer or energy drinks PR department. These aren't Gran Turismo's events; they're events hosted in Gran Turismo. Chat with Porsche Canada about doing what Porsche Japan did last April. Speak to Red Bull North America.

 

[theschledy]

All the? It's one extra event - one of only two that I can recall, and three if you think the NSF one counts. Crucially, they're not GT Sport events.

This is a Red Bull event, which it's chosen GT Sport to host. There was also a Porsche event in 2019 that was managed by Porsche Motorsport Japan, which it chose GT to host. The National Sports Festival events are of course part of the esports arm of the event, for which GT Sport has been chosen.


If you want to change things, have a word with your local car manufacturer or energy drinks PR department. These aren't Gran Turismo's events; they're events hosted in Gran Turismo. Chat with Porsche Canada about doing what Porsche Japan did last April. Speak to Red Bull North America.

I don't know the difference between any of these events because they haven't been made available in my region. I'm just seeing competitions being offered in-game.

But you do make a good point: there was a local event years ago held by Pfaff Canada(has links to Porsche), although as far as I'm aware that competition wasn't promoted in-game. But after that event they linked up with a company called World Gaming and are now exclusive with Forza, and now run the North American final for Forza. I'd be curious to know why they passed on doing future GT Sport events, it might be the reason others haven't bothered.

So if the problem isn't PD, and is instead local promoters not wanting to make competitions through GT Sport, so be it. But all that's doing is driving people towards another game, and console as well. Another thing that I doubt PD/ Sony want me to do but who knows.

 

[Famine]

But you do make a good point: there was a local event years ago held by Pfaff Canada(has links to Porsche), although as far as I'm aware that competition wasn't promoted in-game. But after that event they linked up with a company called World Gaming and are now exclusive with Forza, and now run the North American final for Forza. I'd be curious to know why they passed on doing future GT Sport events, it might be the reason others haven't bothered.

Indeed - we covered the Pfaff FM7 thing a while back; one of @SlipZtrEm's pieces, I recall.

Really it would need to be a continent-wide thing though - North America, or Europe. Japan has a population of 125 million, so any Japanese brand wanting to run a Japan-only competition gets that many potential participants (never mind the fact that 1% of Japanese have even played GT Sport). Red Bull Canada (if there is one) has access to a quarter of that, and Red Bull UK a half - return on investment is smaller. Red Bull USA would get away with it.

But larger territories come with complications. Red Bull Europe would have to translate the competition materials into 32 languages and deal with Italian competition laws, while Red Bull North America would have to go with three languages and the usual Arizona and Quebec exclusions - the **** we see with GT Academy and FIAGTC

 

[theschledy]

Indeed - we covered the Pfaff FM7 thing a while back; one of @SlipZtrEm's pieces, I recall.

Really it would need to be a continent-wide thing though - North America, or Europe. Japan has a population of 125 million, so any Japanese brand wanting to run a Japan-only competition gets that many potential participants (never mind the fact that 1% of Japanese have even played GT Sport). Red Bull Canada (if there is one) has access to a quarter of that, and Red Bull UK a half - return on investment is smaller. Red Bull USA would get away with it.

But larger territories come with complications. Red Bull Europe would have to translate the competition materials into 32 languages and deal with Italian competition laws, while Red Bull North America would have to go with three languages and the usual Arizona and Quebec exclusions - the **** we see with GT Academy and FIAGTC

World Gaming doesn't mention any exclusions for Arizona or Quebec. But I can see that being more challenging for EMEA.

At the end of the day this isn't making me feel any better about GT Sport. If nobody outside Japan wants to run any competitions through the game, I'd be interested to know why. I would think PD would be interested to find out why as well, but doesn't seem like it. And that, along with a number of other things about GT Sport have really soured how I feel about this franchise.

 

[Famine]

World Gaming doesn't mention any exclusions for Arizona or Quebec.

No, it uses these catch-all phrases:

2.1 Eligibility
In order to sign up and maintain an account on the Site, an individual must:

• be a natural person, at least 14 years old, and who has had the email address submitted on the account sign up form assigned to their use and control as represented;
• be a citizen or resident of a country ("Territory") where skilled gaming is legal (as applicable from state to state within a given Territory);
• be physically located in a Territory in which participation in the Service you select, or the Site, is unrestricted by applicable laws; and
• comply with these T&Cs at all times.
• Individuals between 14 and 18 must have permission from a parent or legal guardian, who must read these T&Cs and agree to be bound by them, on behalf of their minor child. WorldGaming reserves the right to confirm that such permission has been granted and to close or restrict any Accounts until WorldGaming is satisfied that a parent or legal guardian has read the T&Cs and agrees to allow their minor child to hold an account.
• Certain sections of the Site are age gated to prevent minors from accessing games such as pay-to-enter games and tournaments. Minors may be prohibited from playing games or entering tournaments based on ESRB or other game ratings, or conditions set by WorldGaming.

All signed up account holders may play free or non-prizing tournaments on the Site (subject to the age rating of the game). Members over the age of 18 or from certain Territories may choose to also play pay-to-enter games and tournaments. Officers, directors and agents of WorldGaming, WorldGaming Network L.P. and its affiliates are not eligible to participate.

Additional Information for U.S. Citizens and Residents: The laws governing contests, tournaments and skilled gaming with entry fees and/or prizes are established by each individual state, not by the federal government.

And then specifically mentions Louisiana and Montana, which is odd.

At the end of the day this isn't making me feel any better about GT Sport. If nobody outside Japan wants to run any competitions through the game, I'd be interested to know why. I would think PD would be interested to find out why as well, but doesn't seem like it.

It'd be Sony as the publisher; the relationship would be between Sony and the brand in question. Nonetheless, it'll be primarily down advertising ROI, with local competition and gaming laws as a corollary.


Also, don't look at the next article I publish today...