Don't ask me how or from where, but the following is the transcript of a telephone conversation from late last year that may shed some light on this matter.
Hi Kaz, Phil from Logitech here. How are you going ?
Very well thank you Phil.
Yeah, ah, just ringing to say very well done with your game. We're playing it a lot over here. A fantastic effort from you and your team.
Thats very kind of you to say so Phil.
Look ah Kaz, while I've got you on the phone, there's one little thing I'd like to talk to you about. In your next patch release, we're ah wondering if you can include a few lines of code to get the butttons on the G27 working.
Oh, you want us to support the G-series ? Well yeah, thats no problem Phil. If you're happy we can just do it on the same basis as the Driving Force series. Then you guys can use our logo on the product, in your advertising, you know, whatever.
Ah, yeah, ah, see, ah, here's the thing Kaz. We're already paying you quite a bit of money for the Driving Force to be an offically licensed wheel. We don't really want to pay all that money again just to get a few buttons working, if you know what I mean.
But the G-series is a different wheel...
Yes I know its a different wheel Kaz, but ....
... and we don't have an agreement for the G-series.
... we're talking about a few lines of code here Kaz.
Well Phil, like I said, we're very happy to support it on the same basis as the Driving Force series.
Ok, umm, look, ah, Kaz, lets come at this from a different angle shall we. Our customer service department is getting a lot of emails from G27 users wondering when their buttons are going to work. Now I'm sure you at Polyphony are getting emails from these very same people too...
Well with respect Phil, I have to say that is your problem. You are the ones that said that the G27 worked wth GT5 on your website . We've always been very careful at our end never to say that.
Yes, I know you have Kaz, but we're talking about some of your most loyal fans here. These aren't the people sitting on a couch playing a bit of Gran Turismo with a controller. These are the people that went out and spent a couple of hundred dollars on a wheel to get the very best out of your game ...
I appreciate that Phil, but we've never said the G-series worked with ...
Yes I know, I know ... and we don't have an agreement. But Kaz really, does it really have to be this big commercial issue just to get some buttons working ? I mean we talking about a few lines of code here Kaz, can't it just, you know, just happen ? For the fans Kaz, for the fans.
Well unfortunately Phil, it is a commerical issue. If it was just you and me we could probably work something out, but Thrustmaster are involved in this now. They're serious about cracking the top end of the wheel market and they see Gran Turismo as their way in. They've paid us a truck load of money to be an official fully supported wheel, and now you want the G-series to have the same support when you've paid us nothing ...
We haven't exactly paid you nothing, Kaz ....
... nothing for the G-series. Well you can see how Thrustmaster might get their noses seriously out of joint. If suddenly there is a G-series tuning screen in the controller options, well, they're going to wonder just what it was that they paid all that money for. Just to use our logo ? I think they were expecting a little more exclusivity than that...
Well Kaz, thats between you and Thrustmaster, and it doesn't help your fans who ...
Yes, Phil, but again, if we were to give you for free, what we've made Thustmaster pay a whole lot of money for, well, at the very least they will want a substantial refund of their licensing fee, and will probably get lawyers involved. It could all get very messy.
Yes, Kaz, but in the meantime it's your fans who are missing out, all for the want of a few lines of code Kaz.
Now, if you want to license the G-series on the same basis as the Driving Force series, Phil, and I must say that's a very reasonable rate compared to what Thrustmaster are paying, then I'm sure we can get this all resolved fairly quickly...
Well, however reasonable the rate Kaz, you're still asking us to pay a whole new licensing fee just to include a few lines of code to get a couple of buttons working....
.... so thanks for your call Phil, and let us know if you want us to proceed.
Kaz, Kaz, are you there Kaz, Hello ?
So, the one that does not want the g27 fully working is polyphony because thrustmaster is afraid their wheel **bleep** in quality/price so they have to nerf the competitors.
Great job, **bleep** working companyes, not going to support polyphony anymore if they go further with that **bleep**.
It's time to boycott.
