Rockstar's UK Appeal Successful [UPDATE] News

The UK's Video Appeals Committee (VAC) has this afternoon ruled in favour of an appeal by Rockstar Games against the refusal by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) to classify Manhunt 2 - effectively banning the game from a UK launch.

The decision narrowly ruled in favour of Rockstar by four to three, with the VAC spending some time scrutinising an already edited version of the game, which had been given an 'M for Mature' rating by the North American board the ESRB.

In a statement, Director of the BBFC David Cooke said:

"The BBFC will carefully study the judgement by the Video Appeals Committee when it becomes available.

"The BBFC exercises great vigilance and care in ensuring that all violent games which are submitted to us are correctly classified. Our decisions are based on published guidelines, which are the result of very wide public consultation. The Board also provides very full content information to the public, including parents, about the videogames which it classifies. We recently launched a new website for parents, PBBFC, in addition to the main website and our websites for children and students.

"The BBFC twice rejected Manhunt 2 for its focus on varied and cumulative killings. We recognize that rejection is a very serious step, in which the desire of publishers to market their games, and that of gamers to buy them, must be balanced against the public interest, including the full range of possible harm risks to vulnerable individuals and to any children who may be wrongly exposed to such games. Such balancing judgements are inevitably complex and multi-faceted, and are made only after very careful consideration of the contents of a work. We played Manhunt 2 for well over 30 hours prior to our decision.

The Board recognizes that the available research findings on the effects of video games (including positive as well as harmful effects) are varied and contested. But we continue to believe that a broad approach to the possible risks is needed, which goes beyond purely behavioural harm, and which also takes account of other possible effects on the sensibilities and attitudes of individuals."

Expect further comments to emerge in the next few hours.

[UPDATE] In response to today's news, Rockstar Games has issued the following statement: "We are committed to making great interactive entertainment, while also marketing our products responsibly and supporting an effective rating system. We are pleased that the decision of the VAC has recognized that Manhunt 2 is well within the bounds established by other 18+ rated entertainment."