Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
Gran Turismo Sport has been the franchise’s more online competition-focused spinoff since it came out in 2017, but soon that competition will be drawing to a close. Sony and Polyphony Digital have announced that online services and support for Gran Turismo Sport is coming to an end and will officially shut down in January 2024. The developer is doing this to shift staff and resources towards the currently available and newer Gran Turismo 7.
Polyphony Digital shared a press release about the shutdown of Gran Turismo Sport online services on the Gran Turismo website this week. On December 1, Polyphony and Sony will cut off purchases of add-on items for Gran Turismo Sport. Then, on January 31, 2024, online services for Gran Turismo Sport will shut down, cutting off access to online-reliant features such as Community, Open Lobby, and Sport Mode, as well as online features/items such as custom liveries. The offline modes in Gran Turismo Sport will still be playable with any additional add-on content already purchased and downloaded.
Polyphony Digital makes no mystery of why it’s shutting down online services for Gran Turismo Sport. The game was released in 2017, Gran Turismo 7 has released since then, and the developer wants to shift its staff and resources over to maintaining the newer game.
“We would like to thank the many users of the Gran Turismo Sport online service since its first launch in 2017,” Polyphony wrote. “From here on, we will continue to further improve the online services for the currently available title Gran Turismo 7 on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.”
With the shutdown of Gran Turismo Sport online services coming up, is it worth the switch to Gran Turismo 7? Our Shacknews review from 2022 would argue yes. Stay tuned for more news on the franchise as updates and details become available.