Why Gran Turismo Sport’s Final Update Bodes Well for GT7's Preservation

On January 31 at 1 a.m. Eastern, Gran Turismo Sport's servers will be shut down for good. While it's always disappointing when a game's online component is eventually killed off, there's actually a silver lining to GT Sport's end of life: developer Polyphony Digital has announced that it's removing the title's internet connection requirement for saving, so that its single-player component is still playable going forward.

The good news came via an update on GT Sport's official website Monday. The bulletin explains that while "it will no longer be possible to utilize online services such as the Community, Open Lobby, and the Sport mode, nor online features/items such as custom liveries" after the end of service date, "the offline portions of the game can still be played, including all previously purchased Downloadable Content. Additionally, all gameplay progression will continue to be saved through Saved Data on the PlayStation 4 system."

See, up until now, you've pretty much needed an internet connection to enjoy GT Sport at all, even if you weren't racing other players. Sure, technically you could do single-player missions and the GT League campaign mode even while disconnected, but the game wouldn't allow you to save your progress until the next time you came online. Polyphony always justified it as an anti-tampering measure; whether it annoyed players or not, it made sense, because GT Sport began the franchise's partnership with the FIA as its official esports partner.