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Manchester Cathedral at centre of alien shootout debacle

12/06/2007

Sony and the Church of England (CofE) are locked in a row over the depiction of Manchester Cathedral in a violent video game.

The 800-year-old building has been used by the entertainment company as a virtual background for a bloody alien gun battle in Resistance - Fall of Man and the CofE has requested that all images of the cathedral be removed from the game.

Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch, the Bishop of Manchester, has spoken out and said that given Manchester's history of gun crime, the video makers were particularly irresponsible in choosing the city.

"For a global manufacturer to recreate 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," he stated.

"Here in Manchester we do all we can to support communities through our parish clergy. We know the reality of gun crime and the devastating effects it can have on lives. It is not a trivial matter."

Another point of contention is the Church's claim that Sony did not obtain permission to use the interior of the building, although the entertainment giant said it believes it "sought and received all permissions necessary for the creation of the game".

Resistance - Fall of Man has already sold more than one million copies in the UK and the US.

The row broke out hours after two teenagers were shot in Manchester's Moss Side on Tuesday night. Both boys survived the incident and have been discharged from hospital.




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