Wii won't Manhunt 2, and we PaSs2 says Sony

Stephen Withers
Friday, 22 June 2007 02:10

Your IT - Entertainment

Rockstar is in a bind over Manhunt 2. As previously reported, the ESRB has given it a preliminary AO rating - and this means neither Nintendo nor Sony will licence it.

Console manufacturers have long used licence agreements to control the games available for their platforms, largely as a way of recouping hardware subsidies but also to maintain their brand images.

Nintendo's web site states that the company "does not sell or license games that carry the ESRB rating "AO" (Adults Only)", and a Sony spokesperson has been widely quoted as saying that the company's current policy is not to allow the playback of AO rated content on its systems.

The nature of the Manhunt 2 is such that it seems unlikely changes could be easily made in order to gain a lower rating. UK and Irish game classification authorities didn't object to specific scenes in Manhunt 2, rather it was the "gross, unrelenting and gratuitous violence" or "sustained and cumulative casual sadism" that led to national bans.

Can Rockstar persuade the ESRB that its original decision was incorrect - ie, that Manhunt 2 does contain "intense violence" but not "prolonged scenes of intense violence"? In the light of the UK and Irish decisions, that sounds unlikely.

An Xbox version wouldn't be the answer. We're not aware of any Microsoft policy in this regard, but GTA:San Andreas - also by Rockstar - is the only Xbox AO title listed by the ESRB, and that was retrospectively re-rated after the discovery of the notorious 'Hot Coffee' hidden mini-game. It seems Rockstar's best chance of getting the game on the market is to port it to the PC.

That would still leave the problems of major US retailers refusing to sell AO games, as well as any national bans that are imposed - but the alternative is to shelve the game and write off the huge development costs.