GT Sport getting delisted is another stark reminder of the fleeting nature of GaaS

For better or for worse, the "Games as a Service (GaaS)" development has seen a steep decline these past few years, and Gran Turismo Sport (GT Sport), Polyphony Digital's underrated racing sim, is its latest victim. GT Sport, one of the best simulation-racing games released for the PS4 back in 2017, was recently delisted from the PlayStation Store.

The delisting of GT Sport hints at PlayStation and Polyphony's idea of focusing on support for the latest mainline entry of the franchise, Gran Turismo 7, which isn't surprising. However, doing so comes at the cost of making yet another PlayStation-exclusive racing simulation title unavailable and inaccessible to players.

Gran Turismo Sport's removal from the PlayStation Store is also the result of the growing dissonance between live-service games and players. The "live-service" model, despite being successful, isn't equally as popular as it used to be. Games like GT Sport getting delisted, despite being rather successful, is another stark reminder of the fleeting nature of the live-service model.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.

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GT Sport getting delisted from the PlayStation Store is more than what meets the eye

While games being delisted from the PS Store or other digital storefronts isn't new or surprising, it is puzzling, especially in the case of a title like Gran Turismo Sport, which, even until the end of 2023, boasted a rather healthy player count. GT Sport's delisting and subsequent termination of online services also renders the game virtually unplayable.

Despite being a single-player racing-sim, Gran Turismo Sport was built primarily as a multiplayer game, with some single-player progression elements. With the termination of the online servers, the game's multiplayer components, as well as some of the single-player aspects that required online connectivity, are now inaccessible.

With games like GT Sport, Knockout City, Babylon's Fall, and Marvel's Avengers being discontinued and delisted, it's evident that making a game "live-service" isn't going to spell success, not anymore. Yes, the live-service model is still successful, especially for pre-established IPs, but very few new titles built within the GaaS model end up being popular nowadays.

Even titles that thrive under the live-service banner, such as Destiny 2, Overwatch 2, and even Diablo 4, have their own issues. The "Games as a Service" model, which was once the most sought-after thing for most AAAs and indie developers, is now fading into obscurity, with the remaining few heralds of the genre trying their best to survive.

Gran Turismo Sport, despite all its flaws, was still an amazing racing simulation title, one that I personally really enjoyed back in 2017. However, with the game's servers getting shut down, I'll now have to add another one of my favorite racing sims to the same pile as Driveclub, Forza Motorsport 7, and Forza Horizon 3, which are now rendered unplayable.

Don't get me wrong, I do like my fair share of live-service titles, with games such as Mortal Kombat 1, GT7, Forza Horizon 5, Destiny 2, and even Call of Duty being some of my most frequented titles, besides souls-likes. However, with the recent decline in the quality of most live-service games, it's apparent to me that the golden age of GaaS is slowly but surely coming to a close.

Gran Turismo Sport and Forza Motorsport 7 have been the biggest reason behind my adoration of the racing simulation genre. And now, having to wave goodbye to both of these exceptional games saddens me. However, I'm hopeful that PlayStation and Polyphony's decision to leave GT Sport behind and pour all their focus into GT7 will be fruitful.