9 Controversial Things Rockstar Games Want You To Forget

8. There Was Almost An Internal "Mutiny" Over Manhunt

Manhunt game
Rockstar

One of the most relentlessly brutal and gory video games of all time, 2003's Manhunt felt like Rockstar saying "If you want a monster, we'll give you one".

Following just how overblown the controversy surrounding GTA III and Vice City had become, what's more surprising is that a decision to make something so deliberately controversial and press-goading was not a decision the entire team were on board with.

Said now ex-employee, Jeff Williams,

"There was almost a mutiny at the company over that game. It just made us all feel icky. It was all about the violence, and it was realistic violence. We all knew there was no way we could explain away that game. There was no way to rationalize it. We were crossing a line."

The "line" Williams refers to is the sort of thing games like Postal or Hatred don't know how to walk, whereas with Rockstar at the helm, Manhunt became a tale of prey and predators - of slowly turning the tables on your oppressors, one shiv, plastic bag strangulation or shotgun blast at a time.

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Gaming Editor
Gaming Editor

WhatCulture's Head of Gaming.