Manhunt 2 ban lifted in the UK

ManHunt 2 has reluctantly been given a rating from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) and will be released in the UK later this year.

The game will carry a certificate 18 rating, following a final decision by the Video Appeals Committee (VAC) to release the game.

Back in June 2007, the BBFC refused the UK distribution of Manhunt 2 objecting to the "bleakness and callousness of tone" of the game. The BBFC then rejected a revised version of Manhunt 2 in October 2007.

However, the game's developer Rockstar then appealed against the BBFC and won the right to have the decision reconsidered.

The VAC reconsidered the appeal after listening to the High Court’s directions on the law and voted by a majority of four to three to allow the appeal on condition that the game be given an 18 certificate.

"As I have said previously, we never take rejection decisions lightly, and they always involve a complex balance of considerations," said David Cooke, director of the BBFC.

"We twice rejected Manhunt 2, and then pursued a judicial review challenge, because we considered, after exceptionally thorough examination, that it posed a real potential harm risk. However, the Video Appeals Committee has again exercised its independent scrutiny. It is now clear, in the light of this decision, and our legal advice, that we have no alternative but to issue an 18 certificate to the game."