Sponsored By

U.S Retailer Target Pulls Manhunt 2 From Shelves

Major U.S. retailer Target has pulled Manhunt 2 from its shelves, in the wake of a broadly-circulated, but complex hack that un-blurred some of the controversial kill scenes in the PlayStation Portable version of the game.

Leigh Alexander, Contributor

November 7, 2007

1 Min Read
Game Developer logo in a gray background | Game Developer

Major U.S. retailer Target has pulled Manhunt 2 from its shelves, and the title no longer appears in search results at the retailer's online store. The move comes in the wake of a broadly-circulated, but complex hack that un-blurred some of the controversial kill scenes in the PSP version of the game. However, the ESRB recently declined to revise the game's "M" rating, though it acknowledged the hack, stating, "we do not believe these modifications fully restore the product to the version that originally received an AO rating." Despite the fact that the exploit only affects the PSP version of Manhunt 2, Target has apparently pulled both versions of the title. A Target representative confirmed to GameSpot that the PSP hack was the reason for the decision, commenting: "While Manhunt 2 was given a Mature rating by the ERSB, we received additional information that players can potentially view previously filtered content by altering the game code. As a result, we have decided not to carry the game."

About the Author

Leigh Alexander

Contributor

Leigh Alexander is Editor At Large for Gamasutra and the site's former News Director. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Variety, Slate, Paste, Kill Screen, GamePro and numerous other publications. She also blogs regularly about gaming and internet culture at her Sexy Videogameland site. [NOTE: Edited 10/02/2014, this feature-linked bio was outdated.]

Daily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inbox

You May Also Like