Manhunt 2 Could Beat Ban With Digital Download

GamePolitics notes that the Register has a theory as to how Rockstar can get around Britain's Manhunt 2 ban: make it available as a digital download. "Downloaded games ... do not need an age-suitability classification, such as 15 or 18, because the Act, which mandates the BBFC's certification programme and forces retailers to obey the classifications, only covers physical products. A BBFC spokeswoman confirmed that if Manhunt 2 publisher Take-Two Interactive chose to sell the game online as a download then 'that would be legal and not contravening the Video Recordings Act'. She added that some games are already sold this way without a BBFC rating, but that most developers choose to have their games classified because selling a physical product is more profitable."

Comments

Analog

[Anonymous Coward]

Any reason a digital download would be legal/ok but analog wouldn't?

take your losses and move on

[westlake]

the Register has a theory as to how Rockstar can get around Britain's Manhunt 2 ban

How long will it be before Parliament closes this particular window of opportunity?

Manhunt 2 brings the torture porn genre to the video game console. The player taking the role of the psycho killer. The game play graphic disembowelment mimed with the Wii controller.

Manhunt 2 invites the kind of ferocious backlash that has Take-Two's financial backers reaching for their Zantac whenever they see Rockstar in the news.

The question is, why do they need the grief? Bioshock is doing just fine, thank you.

Re:Tough on the Wii

[skiingyac]

Nintendo's obviously going to have to figure something out here, as the industry is obviously moving to downloads for the exact reasons you mention. For example, they should include a USB port so that you can attach a USB hard drive to store your games?