The game goes on sale in the UK on April 29th and has just received its 18 rating. It is unclear exactly how the released documents led to a fear of a ban reminiscent of the Manhunt 2 case. A document is usually released about 10 days before a game comes out, detailing exactly what factors led to its age band.
In the case of GTA IV, since the BBFC was unaware of the release date, these documents surfaced earlier than usual but are now once again unavailable. They will be re-released on April 19th, 10 days before the store date for GTA IV. There was some controversy during the BBFC's research on the game however. At one point, it provides ingredients for an unknown drug, which forced the BBFC to investigate further.
It turned out that the ingredients cannot be used to make a "real drug". Manhunt 2 nearly didn't make it onto UK shelves because the BBFC thought the content was too violent. It's decision was overturned and Manhunt 2 was given an 18 certification later.
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Written by: James Delahunty @ 2 Apr 2008 0:11
