Sony (and by extension PD) don’t ‘need’ to engage the intimately with the community to stay afloat, or even relevant for that matter.
No company
needs to, but it does help build a better sense of community (when done well), and it gives the impression that the company is aware of what their consumers like, don't like and should consider changing. Good communication and interactions builds loyalty to the brand, and that loyalty is especially important since since it's easier than ever to find alternatives (even if the alternative doesn't necessarily tick every single box Gran Turismo has).
It's also something that, to some degree, has become expected, due to it being much easier for game devs and people in the industry to reach out into their communities. We see it here on GTPlanet, since at one point Ian Bell and a few other members of SMS were active in the Project CARS subforums.
@PJTierney is another example, as he often gives us updates on CodeMasters projects where he reasonably can, but regularly just casually talks to users about the games themselves, as well as throw in the occasional observations gained from working in a game studio as the Community Manager, so that the regular users have some extra context for certain situations.
We know that PD pays attention to GTPlanet, and keep tabs on what gets talked about here. What would be nice is if we did have some more regular (but still within reason) discourse from someone in PD, talking about what feedback is important, things that they want us to look for, etc. Just something that shows that they do actually take their customer's feedback seriously.
They’re not Kunos. They are the juggernauts of the racing games. And will most likely stay that way.
For better or worse, the franchise entitled “Gran Turismo” can still just about sell itself.
That's a good way to encourage complacency, and that is a dangerous thing to have while your rivals are doing what they can to catch up to you, since they're also going to be watching what you do well and what you don't do well. PD's complacency is (at least in part) what has led us to GT7s current status.
As much as their recent cock-ups annoy the diehard fans and sim racing enthusiasts alike, us die hard fans are but a niche in the grand scheme of all things Sony
True, but the diehard fans also have an important place in things, because they're the ones who tend to be more vocal about the product, as well as being (usually) much more knowledgeable about the product compared to the "normal" playerbase. It's through that that regular players can still keep up with current affairs, and be aware of what's going on with the game beyond what PD/Sony say. Afterall, a big reason why PD had/is addressing some of GT7s early issues is in part thanks to the "niche" fans voicing their displeasure.
