Update, October 6: Turn 10 have responded to criticism of Forza 7’s new VIP system and are already implementing changes.
Forza Motorsport 7 released this week, and while it’s mostly the rad racer that the series has always been, the stuff surrounding the game has proven a sticking point for a lot of potential fans. That naturally means loot boxes and microtransactions.
Forza’s quite good discounting its currency problems, but there’s another racer we’ve been rather more impressed with.
The biggest issue has proven to be a change to how the VIP pass works. In previous titles, the purchase has provided players with a 2x credit boost after every race. The new VIP boost still offered the same credit doubler, but it was limited to 25 races. That alone was a sticking point – including in our own review – but the issue was compounded by the fact that the official store description of the boost didn’t really communicate the change.
Turn 10 have responded to the criticism by fixing the wording in the VIP pass description and, more significantly, they’ll be changing the booster to be a flat 2x bonus across all races, as it was in previous games.
They’ll also be providing four additional cars to VIP pass owners.
- 2016 Jaguar F-TYPE Project 7 Forza Edition
- 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Forza Edition
- 2017 Acura NSX Forza Edition
- 2010 Maserati Gran Turismo S Forza Edition
Downloads of those cars are available now, and changes to the VIP system will be coming “as soon as possible.”
Original Story, September 29: Forza Motorsport 7 does not yet have microtransactions but they’re coming, according to Turn 10. But the game already has loot boxes, and they’re painting a very dark picture for when the game does add a paid currency.
In an opinion piece for Ars Technica, journalist Sam Machkovech calls the game’s loot system “pay to earn.” Like many games, Forza 7 offers loot boxes which can currently be bought with an in-game currency called CR. The items you get include the usual suspects of new cars and cosmetic items, but the real kicker are mods, which are single-use items that alter the conditions of the next race and earn you more CR.
A boost system is nothing new, but Forza’s issue is that many items in its mod system are tied to in-game difficulty options, like night races or driving assist options. These were selectable options in previous games and still are, but they no longer earn you bonus CR when their in effect, unless they’re activated as part of a mod.
Players are also up in arms over the terms of the paid VIP membership, which had been advertised as including 100% CR bonus mods. A term like “membership” might suggest that this bonus would stick around in perpetuity, but that’s not the case. Instead – and unlike similar purchases in previous games – the CR bonus is a limited use consumable that lasts on 25 races.
Forza 7 is not lacking for content, but it’s hard to argue against the criticism of a full-priced game with so many poor extra purchase options around the edges. It’s worth noting that when a paid alternative to CR comes around, there will be a menu option that removes all reference to the new currency. But it’ll be there.