Church Threatens Sony Over Playstation Game

The Church of England has claimed that Sony’s Resistance: Fall of Man uses Manchester Cathedral without permission and has threatened legal action unless an agreement is reached.

A row has developed between Manchester Cathedral in England and Sony, about its Playstation game Resistance: Fall of Man that has the church threatening to take the giant game manufacturer to court.   At the heart of the conflict is a scene in thewar game that takes place in the cathedral nave involving the shooting and killing of hundreds of virtual enemies.   The Church of England asserts that Sony didn’t obtain permission beforeusing the interior in the game, and is demanding not only an apology, but removal from sale of the game, which has already sold over a million copies. Failing that, they may consider legal action.  In response, Sony claimed that it believed it had sought all the appropriate permissions.   Manchester has been a centre of U.K. gun crime in recent years (although possession of guns isillegal), and its notorious Moss Side area has been a haven for shooters and drug dealers. According to the Right Rev. Nigel McCulloch, the Bishop of Manchester,   “For a globalmanufacturer 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.”  Sony has pointed out that the footage is created, rather than taken from photographs or video, for the game that’s set in an alternate 1950s Europe and aimed at an adult audience.However, a statement from Sony said,   “Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is aware of the concerns expressed by the Bishop of Manchester and thecathedral authorities… and we naturally take the concerns very seriously.”