- PS3 ››
- Action ››
- Resistance: Fall of Man
The Church of England threatens Sony
- June 11, 2007 08:54 AM PST
- Email this!
In return for portraying Manchester Cathedral as a battle site in the hit title Resistance: Fall of Man, Sony's latest public relations hurdle involves none other than the Church of England itself.
By Brent Kampe
Sony may have more realistic worries than the Chimera if the Church of England has anything to say about it.
Nearly seven months after the game's North American release and over two months since its European launch, the Church of England is now expressing discontent over Sony's hit PlayStation 3 game Resistance: Fall of Man, objecting to its use of Manchester Cathedral as a war zone within the game. The Church has asked that Sony issue an apology and remove the game from store shelves, or it threatens to take legal action against the company.
"For a global manufacturer to re-create one of our great cathedrals with photo-realistic quality and then encourage people to have guns battles in the building is beyond belief and highly irresponsible" said the Bishop of Manchester, the Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch, in an interview with the BBC. The Bishop added that Manchester's history of gun crime makes the game even more troubling.
The Church also claims that Sony did not ask for permission to use the cathedral, but Sony has so far defended itself in a statement by saying that they "sought and received all permissions necessary for the creation of the game. Furthermore, the company contends that Resistance "is a fantasy science fiction game and is not based on reality".
"It is game-created footage, it is not video or photography," says Sony spokesman David Wilson. "It is entertainment, like Doctor Who or any other science fiction. It is not based on reality at all. Throughout the whole process we have sought permission where necessary."
Whether this argument will abide or whether the matter will be taken to court, which would result in yet another Sony lawsuit, remains to be seen.
