After being released in March, the Project Motor Racing Japanese GT500 DLC is delisted from storefronts at the moment. This means existing owners can use the content, including via the Season Pass, and you can still view the listings on Steam, the PlayStation store and the Microsoft store. But no-one can currently buy the pack, which added five modern GT cars, four classic examples from the early 2000s, and the fictional Takimiya circuit.
There was no announcement prior to the delisting, and all mentions of the pack have been removed from the official website and social media. Developers Straight4 Studios did respond after the content was removed from sale with an official statement which referenced a ‘temporary delisting’ due to ‘a sensitive concern’.
Without speculating too much, it seems likely that there’s been an issue with licensing which could be due to the modern GT500 EVO cars, the classic GT500s, or the Takimiya International Circuit, which is fairly obviously inspired by the real Okayama International track. And the concern may be with the main rights holders, or how those assets have been licensed for use in other racing games and sims, causing additional complications.
On the positive side, the reference to a temporary delisting and ‘good-faith discussions’ hopefully means that everything can be resolved amicably. On the downside, it means that you might struggle to find races against other humanplayers using that content while it’s not available to purchase, which is a shame for anyone that currently owns it.
I’m not a lawyer, although I’ve got a little practical knowledge of licensing and do have friends with experience in that area. And sometimes things can crop up unexpectedly even when you’ve tried to ensure everything is done correctly. The biggest issue in this case is probably the lack of communication prior to the delisting, especially after Project Motor Racing has tried to reboot itself after a troubled launch.
Project Motor Racing itself is still available for the PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store or the official website, the PlayStation 5 via the PlayStation Store, or the Xbox Series X|S via the Microsoft Store, or via Game and Amazon.
Keep up with the latest Project Motor Racing news, updates, DLC and more here. And if you want to support the site and see all our latest articles, why not add us to your Preferred Sources on Google?
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