Rockstar will go before the Video Appeals Committee to give Manhunt 2 another chance
Games developer Rockstar has lodged an official plea with the Video Appeals Committee (VAC) in the UK in hopes to overturn the ban on Manhunt 2, reports trade publication MCV.
A hearing date will soon be set by the VAC and Rockstar will have to demonstrate the game before the committee for the appeal. The games company has not revealed if it plans to carry out similar action for the game’s fate in North America.
In June, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), a body responsible for the rating and classification of video games and other media, said that it has rejected the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions of Rockstar Games’ Manhunt 2 due to the game’s encouragement of “visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing.†The classification of Manhunt 2 means that the game may not be legally distributed or sold in the UK.
Manhunt 2 was later rated AO for adults only by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Such a rating made the game not able to pass the quality standards of Sony and Nintendo, both of which do not allow AO games on their game systems. Many retailers, such as Wal-Mart, also do not permit the stocking and sale of AO games.
In response to the ratings and ban of Manhunt 2, Rockstar Games announced it temporarily suspended the release of its game on PlayStation 2 and Wii. Manhunt 2 was originally slated for a July 10, 2007 release date.
