Take-Two’s Zelnick criticizes AO rating for Manhunt 2

In light of the AO rating that’s been haunting their Manhunt 2 game for the Wii and PSP platforms, Take-Two Interactive once again stepped in to say their piece. This was part of the discussions that came up during a recent conference call company chairman Strauss Zelnick attended.

“WeÂ’re determined to bring Manhunt 2 to the consumers for which it was intended, and to do so in a responsible fashion,” said Zelnick during the meeting.

Aside from the AO rating it received from the ESRB in North America, Manhunt 2 was not rated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). This effectively bans the game from the UK region.

Zelnick further questioned the point of a rating system if it meant that the game could not be played even by its target age bracket. He was mindful not to pin the blame on retailers:

In that instance, one has to ask oneself whatÂ’s the purpose of a rating if it in fact means that a title cannot be released? But I donÂ’t think that that issue falls at the door of retailers. Retailers are acting responsibly, frankly, and I think a retailer has a right to say, ‘This is what IÂ’m prepared to put on my shelves.’ ItÂ’s not correct to be critical of the retailers at all. Because this is a voluntary ratings system in the US, we have to be critical of ourselves if weÂ’ve allowed a system to develop that prevents us from bringing a title to market that we want to bring to market. ThatÂ’s something that we have to address.

As an AO-rated title, only gamers aged 18 and above – still a sizable demographic of the community – would have had access to Manhunt 2. As a last note, Zelnick let the fans in on some good news. According to the Take-Two boss, Grand Theft Auto IV is expected to launch under an M-rating (Mature, age 17+) and shouldn’t suffer the same stigma as Manhunt 2 did.

In light of the AO rating that’s been haunting their Manhunt 2 game for the Wii and PSP platforms, Take-Two Interactive once again stepped in to say their piece. This was part of the discussions that came up during a recent conference call company chairman Strauss Zelnick attended.

“WeÂ’re determined to bring Manhunt 2 to the consumers for which it was intended, and to do so in a responsible fashion,” said Zelnick during the meeting.

Aside from the AO rating it received from the ESRB in North America, Manhunt 2 was not rated by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). This effectively bans the game from the UK region.

Zelnick further questioned the point of a rating system if it meant that the game could not be played even by its target age bracket. He was mindful not to pin the blame on retailers:

In that instance, one has to ask oneself whatÂ’s the purpose of a rating if it in fact means that a title cannot be released? But I donÂ’t think that that issue falls at the door of retailers. Retailers are acting responsibly, frankly, and I think a retailer has a right to say, ‘This is what IÂ’m prepared to put on my shelves.’ ItÂ’s not correct to be critical of the retailers at all. Because this is a voluntary ratings system in the US, we have to be critical of ourselves if weÂ’ve allowed a system to develop that prevents us from bringing a title to market that we want to bring to market. ThatÂ’s something that we have to address.

As an AO-rated title, only gamers aged 18 and above – still a sizable demographic of the community – would have had access to Manhunt 2. As a last note, Zelnick let the fans in on some good news. According to the Take-Two boss, Grand Theft Auto IV is expected to launch under an M-rating (Mature, age 17+) and shouldn’t suffer the same stigma as Manhunt 2 did.