14 DAY TRIAL // Manhunt has spawned controversy right from the start and as we find from Jeff Williams, an ex-employee from Rockstar, this controversy war brewed inside the company as well.
We all remember the game and even if we consider it violent and inappropriate, we all played it and enjoyed it. The problem was that it attacked the moral foundations of the society by condoning unnecessary killings. With the launch of Manhunt 2 in sight, some have begun to reiterate and support the anti-campaign and this statement subscribes to the trend.
"...And honestly, I was pretty vocal in telling my superiors that while I'd do whatever they asked me to do (within reason), I didn't support Manhunt's release. It may sound surprising, but there was almost a mutiny at the company over that game. It was Rockstar North's pet project - most of us at Rockstar Games wanted no part of it. We'd already weathered plenty of controversy over GTA3 and Vice City - we were no strangers to it - but Manhunt felt different. With GTA, we always had the excuse that the gameplay was untethered - you never had to hurt anybody that wasn't a "bad guy" in one of the missions. You could play completely ethically if you wanted, and the game was parody anyway, so lighten up.
Manhunt, though, just made us all feel icky. It was all about the violence, and it was realistic violence. We all knew there was no way we could explain away that game. There was no way to rationalize it. We were crossing a line."
The timing of Jeff is way too close to the launch to count it as a simple coincidence and I would be surprised if other directed interventions from competitors and activists like Jack Thomson won't emerge. Manhunt 2 will get even more attention as it will feature much better graphics (even if still PS2) and a more realistic feeling to it. This should be quite a year for Rockstar shareholders.