--- title: "How Gran Turismo 7’s New Die Cast Photo Mode Came To Be" description: "Unable to travel to and shoot exotic real-world locales, GT7 Scapes devs started playing with toys." date: "2022-08-06" modified: "2022-08-06" authors: - name: "Chris Tsui" job_title: "Contributor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/chris-tsui" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/how-gran-turismo-7s-new-die-cast-photo-mode-came-to-be" categories: - "Culture" - "News" - "Video Games" --- # How Gran Turismo 7’s New Die Cast Photo Mode Came To Be ![]() *Gran Turismo 7, Chris Tsui* *Gran [Turismo 7]()* players received an unexpected treat when July's title update brought a new and very left-field Scapes location: Tomica Town. Turns out, the racing game's delightful new photo mode backdrop wouldn't have happened at all if it weren't for [COVID-related lockdowns](). For the uninitiated, Scapes is a *GT* game mode in which you can plop the game's cars into real-world, quasi-three-dimensional backdrops and take pictures. The majority of these are vistas of interesting streets, notable natural landmarks, or certain spots at racetracks from all around the world. But this latest one takes place in a fantastical Tomica playset—Japanese Hot Wheels, essentially—in which the "real" *[Gran Turismo]()* cars are the same size as those 1:67-scale die-casts. Here are some visuals for the Olds among you still confused. ![]() *Sony Interactive Entertainment* https://twitter.com/Fighterman_FFRC/status/1552635207001419778 https://twitter.com/McDenzy29/status/1552671187238518784 https://twitter.com/nib95_/status/1552957730486460418 The whole thing came as a pretty big surprise to fans given *Gran Turismo*'s typically very serious, very grown-up [(almost to a fault)]() vibe. As reported by *[GTPlanet]()*, the idea actually came to be in the throes of lockdown in 2020. In a translated tweet, Polyphony Digital Scapes developer Hiroshi Kanzaki explained, "Two years ago, during the declaration of a state of emergency, we were in a situation where we couldn't shoot at all, so it was a desperate idea, but I'm glad it was well received!! I am deeply grateful to Takara Tomy for their kind cooperation." https://twitter.com/kanzaki_hiroshi/status/1554415666303619073 It's said that desperation breeds innovation, and *GT7*'s very creative new Scapes location is definitely an unexpected pandemic-era innovation. It has also given way to this adorably glorious crossover between three Japanese automotive institutions: Takumi's AE86 stop-motion-drifting around a Tomica Town playset in *Gran Turismo 7*. https://twitter.com/ytfrcars/status/1552655956613275648 *GT7* is playable on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. Read *The Drive*'s review of the game [here](). *Got a tip or question for the author? You can reach him here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com* ## Author Chris Tsui is *The Drive*'s former Reviews Editor and current freelance automotive journalist. He's based in Toronto. ### Author social links [Instagram]()