Kazunori Yamauchi Responds to Gran Turismo 7 Fan Outrage

[MarrGuitar]

Those are pretty-drastic moves right-off-the-bat. No stuffing around for PD now it seems.

IMHO, it's commendable, timely (pretty-quick response considering all those changes) and something peeps should be grateful for.

Showing our gratitude, as opposed to continuing to bitch about it, just may encourage further steps, not that I doubt they'll come anyway.

EDIT:
I thought they addressed the Nurburgring GP and Daytona cheaters with that stop-gap measure pretty-darn-quickly too. Kudos to PD.

I disagree about it being commendable to be perfectly honest.

I’m 100% sure they wouldn’t have made these changes if there was no backlash from the community. At the end of the day, they are a company, and their priority is maximising profit.

They are only making these changes because they are likely worried about sales dropping off with the recent bad press from the video game media sites, higher profile YouTube channels and metacritic user scores.

I’m still glad these changes are being made, I will probably get back into the game once the update rolls out. But it doesn’t mean I’m going to start kissing the feet of Kaz/PD/Sony when they’ve already shown their true colours. The state the game was released in and the 1.07/1.08 patches really showed their greed.

 

[Scaff]

Remember kids bullying works

Punching upwards isn't bullying, nor is complaining about a product.

 

[rAtey]

Delete pls

 

[kungtotte_]

It's not vindicating. It's not a case of "I told you so". This is forcing the developer into action to correct a problem of their own making.

Yes, Kaz following up his original letter with a blog post detailing exactly the kind of thing he outlined in the original letter is conclusive evidence that a bunch of people Kaz has never heard of whining on a forum he pays no attention to forced his hand into changing the game he made.

 

[Monkey Man]

Actually, if this update happened due to our bitching, maybe continuting to bitch about it would be the way to encourage further steps, not showing gratitude as it'd make PD think their work is completely ok by that point.

The danger there is that "fans" unwittingly brand themselves as complainers, and who doesn't eventually stop responding to serial complainers?

I disagree about it being commendable to be perfectly honest.

Ahh... but the extent / breadth of changes right-off-the-bat indicates a degree of contrition too IMHO.

If someone responds positively to criticism, I call it commendable. Heck, I've dealt with enough peeps who take the opposite approach.

The million credits and divulging next month's car and track-update plan is further evidence that the company really is trying to get things right for its clients. IMHO.

 

[Fourteen]

I felt pretty assured we'd hear more soon - I think because I read Kaz's letter without filtering it thru the red mist of indignant gamer rage.

For it to arrive just the morning after I exasperated myself arguing this was probably coming is definitely cause for a chuckle.

I'm only human and can only try to refrain from being a certain level of smug...

...let's hope these come soon and are enough to calm down the angrier voices over payouts. Perhaps with light at the end of the tunnel for sure now, the "grind" we currently have won't seem quite so mindless?

Enjoy the game!

Utterly bizarre that you believe these changes were going to happen without the 'review bombing' you're so averse to.

Smug? Tone deaf more like.

 

[AshenGraey]

https://blog.playstation.com/2022/03/25/gran-turismo-7-an-update-from-polyphony-digital/

Seems we have been heard! :-)

This is yet again something that should have been communicated from the start and not wait until after the fans backlash/disappointment. I'm glad they are making those moves because that's more or less what I expected which is also why I had no plans to return my copy. I really hope they learn from this and not let it happen again!

 

[rAtey]

This is yet again something that should have been communicated from the start and not wait until after the fans backlash/disappointment. I'm glad they are making those moves because that's more or less what I expected which is also why I had no plans to return my copy. I really hope they learn from this and not let it happen again!

You do realise it has been changed because of the outrage? They weren't planning on this.

 

[AutumnalGlow]

There is no chance the credit limit would've been increased if people hadn't been very clear about their feelings toward it. Otherwise, why set it to the lower number to begin with?

 

[MarrGuitar]

The danger there is that "fans" unwittingly brand themselves as complainers, and who doesn't eventually stop responding to serial complainers?

We are literally the target audience for their product. If you piss off your target audience by delivering a sub-par game then you’re going to risk losing profits.

Depending on how bad the issues are in the game, you’re always going to get complaints from the community which range from pitchforks to light constructive criticism. It’s up to PD to judge what they want to invest time into changing in the game to satisfy the consumers.

And it’s clear that the more noise people make, the more likely they are to hear the community. Kaz’s new statement proves it

EDIT: to add, they do care what we think and they do care what people are complaining about.. especially if it threatens profits

 

[Fourteen]

You do realise it has been changed because of the outrage? They weren't planning on this.

It never ceases to amaze me that there are people out there who do absolutely nothing to agitate for positive changes and yet, are the first to claim some sort of 'I told you so' victory, when a change inevitably comes

 

[fikridroid]

Whilst his latest statement didn't address other lingering issues outside the in-game economy such as offline mode, I'd still consider it a step in the right direction

 

[rAtey]

It never ceases to amaze me that there are people out there who do absolutely nothing to agitate for positive changes and yet, are the first to claim some sort of 'I told you so' victory, when a change inevitably comes

I am not sure if you're talking about me, but I am all for positive changes and actually am really excited for this change. (See also the remarks I made in the update thread) I am not trying to claim any victories here I am just really happy? Or is this lost in translation?

 

[vasio]

Although I’m happy with the changes and I’m looking forward to getting back into the game, I do think the damage is done. That MC user score won’t be going up much and all those YouTube videos and articles won’t be deleted. When people search they’ll still come up and it’ll take a lot of work to regain peoples trust.

It’s a shame it took all that to fix the game. I do wonder why it was released in this state and I don’t think we can blame Sony since PD is the one with the bad track record not them. They had plenty of time to do the work they needed to do, especially when it comes to things like game economy and events. Graphics, physics, tracks and cars take time but game design should be done from early development.

They still have a long way to go with GT7, fixing the AI and proper grid starts/qualifying in single player should be up their with their top fixes.

I’m happy with the changes for now, I just hope they keep it up.

 

[Dave A]

Oh please... 😆

You think these changes were always on the cards, do you? "Let's remove the ability to sell cars only to add it as a feature later!"

Most certainly they are a response to the negative reaction and review bombing that has taken place. Or rather, the promised increase in payouts, having more used and legendary cars available at once and being able to sell owned cars are a definite reaction to that.

 

[MaxAttack]

The letter from Kaz was pretty unequivocal in stating that the protests had been heard, these changes are a result of the action you were accusing people of being childish for engaging in. Smug is the last thing you should be thinking of being, as without the review-bomb it's highly unlikely that we would be here and these changes would be in place!

The people you insulted just got you better payouts, Cr.1 million, and the ability to sell your cars. Or do you think it was always PDs intention to redo the majority of the in-game economy a month after release?

Do keep in mind that your advice to people was to not buy the next GT, action I'm 100% sure has not caused this about face from PD.

My advice was not to do things you intend to do for fun if they're not fun; minor but important distinction.

I will not discredit the reviewbomb entirely for the action here, while I still find the whole affair deeply regrettable, I think that's a sentiment shared even by those who felt it absolutely necessary.

However I think we shouldn't give too much credit to the footstomping, being as the score was still sliding down after Kaz's letter which I took as enough assurance that better things were coming; and here we are with a much firmer picture of just that.

We can all be happier now, and I suppose I can be happy to think at least some good came of this despite it being a horrendous look for the community - the level of discourse in here was horribly low on multiple sides.

I'm smug yes but I'm southern English - it's my natural state of being. I'll still never engage in or endorse a metacritic review bomb.

 

[Fourteen]

I am not sure if you're talking about me, but I am all for positive changes and actually am really excited for this change. (See also the remarks I made in the update thread) I am not trying to claim any victories here I am just really happy? Or is this lost in translation?

Nothing lost in translation, I'm talking about the person you responded to. I was agreeing with you.

 

[kungtotte_]

There is no chance the credit limit would've been increased if people hadn't been very clear about their feelings toward it. Otherwise, why set it to the lower number to begin with?

It was 20 million in GTS too (100 with the DLC).

 

[rAtey]

Nothing lost in translation, I'm talking about the person you responded to. I was agreeing with you.

Thanks, this forum is not the easiest to read as a non-native English speaker :-)

 

[o000o]

The danger there is that "fans" unwittingly brand themselves as complainers, and who doesn't eventually stop responding to serial complainers?

Who cares they're professionals, they should be only concerned of improving their product or work methods rather than being hurt by scathing comments.

 

[Samus]

Yes, Kaz following up his original letter with a blog post detailing exactly the kind of thing he outlined in the original letter is conclusive evidence that a bunch of people Kaz has never heard of whining on a forum he pays no attention to forced his hand into changing the game he made.

Wow. Really?

First of all those people he has never heard of are called customers. All businesses listen to customers if they want to last.

Secondly, it's not just this forum. The issues raised here have been mirrored across the web. In the "review bombing", in the press articles, in the streamer videos, on Reddit, Twitter, everywhere.

Thirdly yes, PD do read this forum and presumably other places online. The staff have confirmed that.

Fourthly, if you think it's a coincidence that all of the changes listed correspond EXACTLY to the issues mentioned, then you're simply kidding yourself. You think that it's entirely a coincidence, and they were planning to make all of these exact changes if the internet and players stayed quiet and said they were all happy with the game? Come on.

 

[AutumnalGlow]

It was 20 million in GTS too (100 with the DLC).

Right, but this is a new game. If they wanted to stick with 100M, they should've done that from release.

Either they were uncertain and they released the game too early with little consideration for economy balancing (which would also explain the payout changes and lack of content) and would have come to the conclusion that the cap should've been raised on their own, or they realized we would not be happy with a 20M cap and are now fixing this.

Either way, not a good look. The cap shouldn't be there at all, honestly.

 

[JoaoSilva]

The 1M Cr. gift is already live.

 

[kungtotte_]

Wow. Really?

First of all those people he has never heard of are called customers. All businesses listen to customers if they want to last.

Yes and no. They don't have to listen to anyone, they are just looking at their bottom line. And based on how many people who apparently keep playing the game despite being so upset about it, I don't think their bottom line was ever threatened.

Ten people refunding the game will make a much bigger impact than 10000 angry voices on the internet.

Fourthly if you think it's a coincidence that all of the changes listed correspond EXACTLY to the issues mentioned, then you're simply kidding yourself. You think that it's entirely a coincidence, and they were planning to make all of these exact changes if the internet and players stayed quiet and said they were all happy with the game? Come on.

Firstly, as I said, Kaz's original letter outlined that they had plans in place to change how these things worked. And when he then comes out with this blog post I think that it is the logical continuation of that first letter where they now provide more details, and influenced very little by all the complaining. In other words, I think they had a plan.

Secondly, I don't think they intended to make all of these exact changes (1M bonus is for sure caused by the downtime for example), I think they had planned more events/content all along but that some of the details are subject to change based on the statistics they gather from everyone playing the game.

So no, I don't think these changes were at all caused by the complaining. If a large number of you actually refunded the game and just didn't say anything here, then that might have been a driving force for these changes. Otherwise? Nah. PD looked at their balance report and saw black numbers and that spoke much louder than the internet did.

 

[MrSulu]

Yes, Kaz following up his original letter with a blog post detailing exactly the kind of thing he outlined in the original letter is conclusive evidence that a bunch of people Kaz has never heard of whining on a forum he pays no attention to forced his hand into changing the game he made.

"Thank you for your continued support and feedback on Gran Turismo 7, your voices have not gone unheard."

Literally the first sentence of the blog.....

 

[AshenGraey]

You do realise it has been changed because of the outrage? They weren't planning on this.

I said it was more or less expected because I had thought that with the current state of the game there had to be more to come out so yeah to a certain extent it was probably planned. They might have adjusted some things but I think the biggest change as a result of the fan outcry is probably how soon those plans are being implemented. While I do have a problem with the MTX push, my biggest complaint was always the lack of communication from PD since this debacle started. Had they given us the fans a glimpse of any of those plans, do you think people would have been as furious about the whole thing? I doubt it!

 

[o000o]

Hold everyone's horses first. Reminder that next month is April, what if the next update is only an April Fools?

Yes and no. They don't have to listen to anyone, they are just looking at their bottom line. And based on how many people who apparently keep playing the game despite being so upset about it, I don't think their bottom line was ever threatened.

Ten people refunding the game will make a much bigger impact than 10000 angry voices on the internet.

You can just do both. Refund and rightfully criticize PD.

So no, I don't think these changes were at all caused by the complaining. If a large number of you actually refunded the game and just didn't say anything here, then that might have been a driving force for these changes. Otherwise? Nah. PD looked at their balance report and saw black numbers and that spoke much louder than the internet did.

There are those who don't buy the game like the people you replied to here.

 

[kungtotte_]

"Thank you for your continued support and feedback on Gran Turismo 7, your voices have not gone unheard."

Literally the first sentence of the blog.....

Also, from the letter:

We will in time let you know the update plans for additional content, additional race events and additional features that will constructively resolve this.

Indicating that they did have a plan back then, and now we get more of the details of that plan.

You can just do both. Refund and rightfully criticize PD.

Absolutely, nobody has indicated that they did refund it though (that I've seen).

There are those who don't buy the game like the people you replied to here.

If people haven't even bought the game and are still experiencing this much emotional distress about the state of the game, I think that money is better spent on therapy.

 

[Deni323]

Kaz is in his own world now. Just like Hideo Kojima with his postman simulator.

You can't even compare the two

Death stranding is a peace of art that isn't for everyone, it aimed at people who appreciate story and ambient over action, but you knew what you were buying, it wasn't advertised as fast action shooter with lots of action and then sells you bullets or boots for real money.

For me it is similar story with Snowrunner...it's just very slow and not for everybody. but still peace of art the way dirt behaves and so on.

Who is GT7 for? what is the point of GT7? taking pictures in scapes? watching stars in the sky at night? spending 3000 usd/eur on virtual cars just so you can say look I collected every car.

 

[Dave A]

Yes and no. They don't have to listen to anyone, they are just looking at their bottom line. And based on how many people who apparently keep playing the game despite being so upset about it, I don't think their bottom line was ever threatened.

Ten people refunding the game will make a much bigger impact than 10000 angry voices on the internet.

Firstly, as I said, Kaz's original letter outlined that they had plans in place to change how these things worked. And when he then comes out with this blog post I think that it is the logical continuation of that first letter where they now provide more details, and influenced very little by all the complaining. In other words, I think they had a plan.

Secondly, I don't think they intended to make all of these exact changes (1M bonus is for sure caused by the downtime for example), I think they had planned more events/content all along but that some of the details are subject to change based on the statistics they gather from everyone playing the game.

So no, I don't think these changes were at all caused by the complaining. If a large number of you actually refunded the game and just didn't say anything here, then that might have been a driving force for these changes. Otherwise? Nah. PD looked at their balance report and saw black numbers and that spoke much louder than the internet did.

10000 angry voices online absolutely has a bigger impact than even 100 refunds would. Where I work 1 negative review online is worse than a refund we can quietly and discretely issue and process. Refunds (provided they aren't en-masse and they aren't due to PSN's policies) are not a big deal.

As for the changes, you admitted it yourself then did a u-trin, they are absolutely as a result of the negativity online. Sure, we would have gotten more cars and events anyway, we knew that before launch, but higher payouts, increased Cr cap, more cars available to buy at one, being able to sell your used car etc. These are the key things people were complaining about and are a direct response to that complaining.

It's a shame it came to that and PD didn't release the game in a better, more balanced state.