Michael Pachter expresses thoughts on Target’s Manhunt 2 pullout

Manhunt 2‘s (PSP, Wii, PS2) pullout from Target’s shelves has apparently gotten the attention of Michael Pachter. The game industry analyst has expressed his opinion regarding the pullout, commenting that he was both surprised, and disappointed at the retailer’s actions.

Pachter further implied that Target’s Manhunt 2 pullout was indicative of censorship from the retailer – a move he did not condone. Complete details on Pachter’s commentaries are available in the full article.

 As you guys will recall, it was recently confirmed that retailer Target is pulling out their stocks of Manhunt 2 in light of the growing controversy surrounding the game. The move’s apparently reached the ears of Wedbush-Morgan analyst Micheal Pachter, who has recently expressed his thoughts on the retailer’s move to purge their shelves of Rockstar’s Halloween offering to the PSP, Wii, and PS2.

Pachter first stated his surprise regarding Target’s move, noting that Manhunt 2 was just as violent as other M-rated titles in circulation. Pachter added his two cents regarding the recently reported edit hack for the game’s PSP port, and said “The typical Target customer probably doesnÂ’t have a UMD hacker kit, and the risk of any backlash to Target is remote.”

Pachter also made references to Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto III. The analyst explained that Wal-Mart branches in the mid-Atlantic executed a similar pullout for GTA3 following the Washington D.C. sniper attacks, because the game also carried a sniper rifle as a weapon. “That lasted till the game became a best seller (probably three weeks), and the store chain [Wal-Mart] suddenly lost its ‘conscience’,” Pachter added.

The analyst further had this to say regarding the pullout, which he viewed as a form of retailer-based censorship:

I don’t think individual retail chains should play censor. The ESRB is charged with rating games, and the retailers should not superimpose their judgment based upon media reports. It’s hard for me to conceive of the possibility that the decisionmaker at Target actually played the game. They should have a policy about what to carry and stick with it–either carry M-rated games or don’t, but don’t make exceptions because of media coverage.

Pachter’s statements on the game offers the latest perspectives being expressed on this title. Keep in touch in case more related news turns up.

Via Game Politics