It’s nearly the end of the month, and that normally means we can look forward to a new Gran Turismo 7 update later this week.
Since GT7 launched last March, monthly updates have added new cars including iconic Gran Turismo cars such as the Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak and Toyota Celica GT-Four rally car.
As well as new cars, monthly updates have also added new single-player race events, GT Café Menu Books and game features such as the ability to sell garage cars.
We usually get a Twitter teaser from Kazunori Yamauchi previewing at least three new cars on the weekend before an update to generate hype. These are usually blacked out, inviting fans to guess their identities.
But with no update from the series creator at the time of writing, the Gran Turismo 7 January update is in doubt.
Where is the Gran Turismo 7 January update?
Of course, it’s possible the update will still roll out this Thursday as usual without a teaser from Yamauchi. But his silence is highly unusual.
With Forza Motorsport being shown off this week at the Xbox & Bethesda Developer Direct event, you'd think Sony and Polyphony would want to steal some spotlight away from Microsoft’s flagship racer.
If a GT7 January update is planned this week, it will presumably go live on Thursday 26 January based on paste updates. A PlayStation Blog update usually previews GT7's monthly updates a day early, so we could find out more on Wednesday 25 January.
If not, this will be the first time GT7 has skipped a monthly update since the game launched last March.
It would be a shame for GT7 to start off 2023 with a whimper. With Forza Motorsport just around the corner, GT7 needs regular updates this year to keep ahead of the competition and stay relevant.
Monthly GT7 updates may end
The consistency of GT7's updates has led to fans expecting new content every month. However, Yamauchi recently went on record saying that future GT7 updates may not be monthly.
Speaking to Japanese media, Yamauchi revealed he never planned GT7's updates to be monthly. It’s just been a coincidence that every content update has rolled out at the end of the month so far.
When asked if future updates will be monthly, the series creator confirmed they might be more spaced out or released closer together going forward.
It’s also possible that the next GT7 content update may not include any new cars. This isn’t a bad thing as it means Polyphony can prioritise creating new circuits.
Past updates have added Watkins Glen and Road Atlanta, but fans are clamouring for original circuits like Grand Valley Speedway, Midfield Raceway, and Autumn Ring from classic Gran Turismo games to return.
With Sony's new PSVR 2 headset fast approaching, Polyphony may also need to prioritise optimising the game for February’s free PSVR 2 update over a Gran Turismo 7 January update.
One-year anniversary update
Another possibility is that Polyphony is preparing a significant update to celebrate GT7’s first anniversary on 4 March. This could include the long-awaited Sophy AI update.
Back in February last year, Polyphony announced it was teaming up with Sony AI to develop an advanced new AI agent for GT7 called Sophy.
Gran Turismo is notorious for having unrealistic AI opponents that stick to the racing line like glue and never put up a fight when you try to overtake them.
But by learning racing etiquette, Sophy AI behaves like a human driver and can already beat the world’s best Gran Turismo drivers.
GT7’s driving experience is impeccable, but an AI update would revolutionise the racing. A major update like Sophy AI would be a fitting way to celebrate GT7’s first anniversary.