Gran Tursimo 5 Servers Go Offline, DLC Gone Forever

[Steven Bogos]

Gran Tursimo 5 Servers Go Offline, DLC Gone Forever

Gran Turismo 5 was released just three years ago, but Sony is already pulling the plug on its severs.

One of the increasingly valid concerns people have over DLC and games that require online servers is the fear that one day, those servers will shut down, leaving sections of the game unplayable. For Gran Turismo 5 that day is near, with Sony announcing that its online servers will come to a close [http://eu.gran-turismo.com/us/news/00_4372104.html] on May 30, 2014. What's more, after 30 April 2014, players will be unable to purchase any Gran Turismo 5 DLC, as it will disappear from the PS store forever.

Specifically, Sony says that the following services will come to an end: Online Lobby, Seasonal Events, Museum, News, Community, Remote Race, Log in Bonus, Online Dealership and DLC purchase.

If you've purchased the "Racing Car Pack" and "Course Pack" (including those purchased as part of the "Complete Pack"), you'll have to access the PlayStation Store and purchase the [Family Upgrade] for the items in question. The upgrade is free of charge, and ensures that you'll be able to re-download the DLC in the future.

If you wish to re-download already purchased DLC after the April 30 cut-off date, you will still be able to do so from the [Download List], accessible in the PlayStation Store. However, this will not work with the "Paint Pack" and "Racing Gear Pack", which once deleted from your system will be gone forever!

So there we go. It looks like Gran Turismo's online shelf-life is only as long as the gap between the next game's release. Gran Turismo 6 has already had several cars released for free for the game since it's launch, and plans to have a substantial amount more. I wonder what will happen when its severs inevitably go offline?

Source: Gran Turismo [http://eu.gran-turismo.com/us/news/00_4372104.html]

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[Genocidicles]

Here it is. The future of gaming.

I'm already wondering what the outcry will be like if something like Mass Effect loses all of its DLC.

 

[Reed Spacer]

Why get rid of the dlc?

What possible reasong could they have?

 

[Andy Shandy]

So basically, this game was in development (was originally shown at E3 2005, and released at the end of 2010) for longer than most of the game will be available for.

Ignoring that many believe this sort of thing shouldn't happen to begin with, that's kinda ridiculous, isn't it?

 

[Scorpid]

They've got to close it down because Gran Turismo 5 is the superior, more consumer friendly product. So shoot that shit in the head and make your fans re buy the features they bought in 5 for 6 and 7

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Here it is. The future of gaming.

I'm already wondering what the outcry will be like if something like Mass Effect loses all of its DLC.

BioWare either releases all three games with all that content on the actual disc, or they suffer another mass bleeding of fans.

Now okay, servers have to be shut down eventually. But after only three years? Unless the game sucks, this is insane. I mean, the original Resistance: Fall of Man kept its serves up and running for nearly the entire life cycle of the PS3 generation. Hot DAMN. And you're telling me that these guys can't keep theirs going for more than three years? Glad I don't play this series or I'd be pissed. Right now I'm just disappointed.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Give us back privately hosted servers on the PC, arseholes. I hate that they can flip a switch and kill a game like this. Why do console gamers give these people money?

 

[Sanunes]

Here it is. The future of gaming.

I'm already wondering what the outcry will be like if something like Mass Effect loses all of its DLC.

Considering most of the people that would be interested in the DLC have already bought it, I can't see much of an outcry. I do wish they would fix Dragon Age: Origins and how its DLC works, for it has "issues" under Windows Vista and later.

For the first game? I doubt anyone will care, since it's DLC was all trash and not at all interesting.
For 2, and Citadel for 3 though? Yeah that would be bullocks and I'm sure people would care about that.

I would miss Bring Down the Sky for it wasn't a bad DLC offering.

 

[wolf_isthebest]

Gran Turismo 6 has sold just 25% of what GT5 managed in same time frame in the US. That's what they get for announcing that they are shutting down servers before GT6 was released. I speak my outrage with my wallet. I own gt1\5 with all the dlc and I'm not getting Gt6. I'll wait to see the if Drive Club is decent or mby they will pull their sh*t together by the time Gt7 goes out.

 

[Something Amyss]

Why get rid of the dlc?

What possible reasong could they have?

With the two above exceptions, they aren't getting rid of it. They're just not selling it anymore.

 

[yamy]

Why get rid of the dlc?

What possible reasong could they have?

With the two above exceptions, they aren't getting rid of it. They're just not selling it anymore.

Again, what possible reason could they have to stop selling something? Only thing I can think of it that some sort of licensing deals for the cars or tracks had expired but even so if they've managed to get GT6 out they should have been able to re-licence them.

I just find it odd that they're pulling the DLC offline as they shouldn't be that expensive to host online.

 

[RA92]

Meanwhile, the 1996 website for Space Jam is still up and running.

http://www2.warnerbros.com/spacejam/movie/jam.htm

For eighteen fucking years.

 

[Sanunes]

Again, what possible reason could they have to stop selling something? Only thing I can think of it that some sort of licensing deals for the cars or tracks had expired but even so if they've managed to get GT6 out they should have been able to re-licence them.

I just find it odd that they're pulling the DLC offline as they shouldn't be that expensive to host online.

The only reason why I can see it changing is because of how the player account is tied to the online services they are bringing down, for if I read the article correctly they are requiring the person to download "The Family Pack" DLC that is free to download otherwise you can't even download purchased DLC anymore.

 

[Reed Spacer]

Why get rid of the dlc?

What possible reasong could they have?

With the two above exceptions, they aren't getting rid of it. They're just not selling it anymore.

That's effectively the same thing, especially if you don't have it.

 

[WWmelb]

Meanwhile, the 1996 website for Space Jam is still up and running.

http://www2.warnerbros.com/spacejam/movie/jam.htm

For eighteen fucking years.

'LMAO i had to click that link. I miss websites being so simple... just for fun i did a quiz... got all the questions correct and got this message:

"You've successfully completed the Official Looney Tunes Trivia Quiz! Now go do something else!"

I laughed my ass off.

OT - Servers shutting down is shit.

 

[RA92]

Meanwhile, the 1996 website for Space Jam is still up and running.

http://www2.warnerbros.com/spacejam/movie/jam.htm

For eighteen fucking years.

'LMAO i had to click that link. I miss websites being so simple... just for fun i did a quiz... got all the questions correct and got this message:

"You've successfully completed the Official Looney Tunes Trivia Quiz! Now go do something else!"

I laughed my ass off.

I went to the Stellar Souvenir section, tried to download a browser icon, and then was told that I couldn't because I wasn't running Netscape Navigator. XD

 

[FFP2]

#4TheGamers

Yeah, I wanna see Sony fanboys defend this. This is such BS for people that play GT5.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Again, what possible reason could they have to stop selling something?

Easy, they want you to buy GT6 and one of the easiest ways to 'encourage' that is to make using previous titles as inconvenient as possible or completely impossible if they can. Thanks to always online for PC and console online systems in general, that's exactly what they can do. They also don't want lift a finger (or spend a penny) performing any kind of upkeep on the old game when the new one is full price.

It's exactly the same reason EA turn off servers for sports games every eighteen months, the only way to avoid it is buy offline game or stick to PC games that aren't always online/don't require a central auth server, such is life.