Big changes coming to Forza economy based on fan feedback

Turn 10 Studios announced today that they've listened to feedback from the Forza community and will be implementing dramatic changes to the in-game economy. Though players will still have the option of paying real money for in-game rewards like cars or experience boosters -- a microtransaction system similar to many free-to-play games -- the Forza Motorsport 5 economy is being tweaked to make it easier for players to unlock rewards without paying real money. "We’re making some significant changes to the Forza Motorsport 5 economy, based on player behavior we’ve seen in game as well as feedback we’ve received from the Forza community," Turn 10 Community Manager Brian Ekberg told Microsoft's Jeff Rubenstein as part of a Q&A posted on Microsoft's Major Nelson blog. "With this content update, we are dramatically increasing the rate at which credits are earned in the game." The next content update for Forza Motorsport 5 will also include a few gameplay tweaks, upgraded support for force feedback racing wheels, and two new gameplay modes: multiplayer-only "Tag" and drag racing. In addition to increasing the speed at which players earn credits, Turn 10 is expected to lower the price of the game's best -- and most expensive -- cars. Ekberg told Rubenstein that "even the most exclusive cars in the game are now within reach of all Forza Motorsport 5 players," as long as those players are playing regularly enough to take advantage of the Forza Rewards program. The program, err, rewards players for continuing to play long after the game has launched, which seems like a good way to discourage them from selling the game used. Participants earn monthly rewards commensurate with their "Tier" ranking, which is based on how much time one spends playing Forza games. These changes come in the wake of vociferous complaints from Forza players about Turn 10's decision to implement microtransactions in a game that costs $60.