Sony in Talks With Chafed Church Officials

The PlayStation 3 game "Resistance: Fall of Man" has drawn outrage from the Church of England for including scenes of a gun battle inside one of its historic cathedrals. Sony said Wednesday it is in discussions with church officials over what action can be taken to remedy the complaints but asserted that it never intended to depict Manchester Cathedral specifically.
AP | 06/13/07


Sony's (NYSE: SNE) Latest News about Sony video game unit said Wednesday it is talking with the Church of England about a complaint that a famous cathedral is the scene of a violent shooting game for the new PlayStation 3 Latest News about PlayStation 3 console.

Sony Computer Entertainment spokesperson Nanako Kato declined to give details of the talks and said more time may be needed for an agreement because the problem was complex.

Godzilla and King Kong

"This is a sensitive topic," Kato said. "Many historical buildings are used in entertainment such as movies, including Godzilla and the Tokyo Tower and King Kong in Manhattan."

The church has demanded an apology, saying that Sony did not ask for permission to use a Manchester cathedral in the game "Resistance: Fall of Man."

Kato acknowledged the church in the game bears a resemblance in some parts to Manchester cathedral. However, she said the point was to depict a backdrop of an old church, not to illustrate a specific church.

In parts of the game, the player walks through a cathedral armed with a gun and shoots at enemies.

Difficult to Delete

Although the cathedral appears only in some scenes, it would be difficult to delete just those scenes from the game, which went on sale with the launch of the PlayStation 3 next-generation console. The machine went on sale in Japan and the U.S. late last year, and in Europe in March.

Sony's global sales Email Marketing Software - Free Demo of "Resistance: Fall of Man" have totaled more than 2 million. Although outside software makers create games for Sony's game machines, "Resistance" is a Sony original.

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