According to Gamepolitics.com, Manhunt 2 has been given an AO - adults only - rating in the States, rather than the usual M (mature) rating which is non-prohibitive and acts merely as a guide for parents. Although this is technically the equivalent of our own 18 certificate, an AO rating spells commercial doom in America as the larger chainstores will refuse to stock the title.
Publisher Take Two told the site:
"Manhunt 2 was created for mature audiences and we strongly believe it should receive an M (Mature) rating, aligning it with similar content created in other forms of media. We are exploring our options with regard to the rating of Manhunt 2."
If this is accurate, Take Two/Rockstar will surely have to consider the sense of releasing the game in its current form. Obviously, they'll still have online retailers and independent stores to channel the game through, but, as Gamepoltics.com points out, big superstore chains like Walmart account for 25% of game sales in the US - that's a hefty slice of the retail pie. And with other territories likely to take a similar stance to the UK and US, it seems Rockstar's willingness to court controversy may have backfired in quite spectacular style.
In a subsequent post, Gamepoltics.com quotes omnipotent industry analyst Michael Pachter who reckons it may cost T2 half of its possible revenue from the game to make changes to the title and hope for re-classification.
