Rockstar Renames Bully To Canis Canem Edit In Europe

Officials from Rockstar Games have announced that controversial PlayStation 2-exclusive title Bully is to be renamed to Canis Canem Edit outside of the U.S, according to multiple European media reports. The new title, according to reports from UK site Eurogamer, is Latin for “Dog Eat Dog”, apparently the motto of the fictional Bullworth Academy featured in the game. Rockstar has so far not responded to questions over the name change - it is unclear whether this is European-specific, or whether localized government or campaign group pressure over the name in the U.S. will also prompt the change there. Canis Canem Edit has proven extremely controversial, despite it never having been demonstrated in public - many outside observers have assumed from the name that the game encourages and allows users to participate in bullying. The recently revealed trailer, though, portrays a less provocative game in which the main character is largely the subject of bullying rather than the perpetrator. Although it was recently awarded a relatively mild ‘M’ rating by the notoriously strict Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification, British MP Keith Vaz and UK charity group Bullying Online have both called for the game to be banned, again apparently based largely on the implications assumed by the game’s name. According to Rockstar the game is still scheduled to release both in North American and Europe this October.