Since its release nearly 12 months ago on PS4 and PS5,Gran Turismo 7has made headlines for both good and bad reasons. Even thoughPolyphony Digital’s racer earned praisefrom critics before it launched, fan backlash dominated its opening months due to how the studio initially implemented microtransactions. However, following several patches, free car additions, and Esports events, the situation has improved significantly.
Now thatGran Turismo 7’s teething problems have been largely solved, Polyphony has turned its attention to implementing new features. In addition to adding PS VR2 support, several new cars, and the returning Grand Valley racetrack,GT7’s 1.29 updatealso features the arrival of GT Sophy to the game. While the aforementioned additions will likely soak up a lot of attention, fans should be keeping an eye on the latter and what it means for the series going forward.
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Sony’s Smart AI
Designed in collaboration between Polyphony Digital, Sony Interactive Entertainment, and Sony’s Artificial Intelligence division, GT Sophy represents the next stage of video game AI. When the technology was publicly announced during the run-up toGran Turismo 7‘s release last year, the trio promised that Sophy would revolutionize what was possible for an AI to achieve within a game. Thanks to its ability to learn and adapt to the player while racing, it’s easy to see where the trio’s bullish attitude came from.
Having been tested behind the scenes against some of the world’s best Esports racersinGran Turismo: Sportsince 2021, GT Sophy has already learned a lot. On Sony’s website, the partners involved point out that Sophy’s ‘Novel Reinforcement Learning’ ability means it can already react to the in-game environment, make complex decisions, and race at breakneck speed. While the racing game genre has featured challenging AIs in the past, it’s clear that Sophy takes the entire concept to a whole new level.
Since its unveiling,GT Sophy’s three creatorshave made it clear that the technology will have a long-term impact on gaming. Along those lines, Sophy has been designed to be a fair and considerate opponent too. In an attempt to mirror the world’s highest forms of motorsport, while overcoming some of the genre’s difficulty-setting debates, Sophy reacts to and races players like a real human. That’s a far cry from most of the AI that players can currently race against.
GT Sophy in GT7
Even though the technology is currently only in its Beta phase, players can still get a practical taste of what GT Sophy can do right now. In thePS5 version ofGran Turismo 7, Polyphony has added a limited-time event hub where players can race against the AI in several events. Thanks to the recent 1.29 update, players have until March 31 to jump in and test their abilities. It’s worth keeping in mind, though, that not all the events are for the faint of heart.
While several watered-downGT Sophy races are availablethat show off the AI’s considerate racing style, both a difficult and head-to-head option are present that are geared more around its speed and tactical abilities. In some respects, trying to escape the AI in these modes, as it hits every apex and acceleration zone perfectly, is almost comparable to being chased down by a Terminator.
To add some personality to GT Sophy’s setup, players can see in real-time what the AI is feeling via emoji that can pop up above their cars. Driving into a Sophy-controlled car, for example, will make the AI visibly sad and angry. Players have noted that when they attempt to cut corners against Sophy, the AI also cheekily winks at them as they’re penalized. A feature that’s yet another sign of how much the technology will revolutionizetheGran Turismoserieswhen it’s eventually finished.
Gran Turismo 7is available now on PS4 and PS5.
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