Following the news of the ban on Manhunt 2 in the U.K. and the ESRB's response that they had assigned a rating to the game but were not ready to reveal it, publisher Take-Two and its label Rockstar Games have revealed that the game had indeed been slapped with the "AO" (adults only) rating.

"The ESRB has issued an initial rating of AO (Adults Only) for Manhunt 2. We believe the process of rating videogames is to help people make informed entertainment choices and not to limit them," the companies said in a statement sent to GameDaily BIZ and other media. "Manhunt 2 was created for mature audiences and we strongly believe it should receive an M (Mature) rating, aligning it with similar content created in other forms of media. We are exploring our options with regard to the rating of Manhunt 2."

For those not familiar with the game, Manhunt 2 follows the "adventures" of Daniel Lamb and Leo Kasper, the only surviving subjects at a research facility where an experiment has gone terribly wrong. The game is not a direct sequel to the gory PS2 and Xbox video game, but it retains its predecessor's mechanics, forcing gamers to sneak about, using the shadows as cover and executing enemies in a most gruesome fashion—for example, you might jab a pen into a person's neck or thrust a syringe through an eyeball. This kind of violence is also mimicked on the Wii version with the game's motion controls.

In a follow-up phone call, a Rockstar spokesperson told GameDaily BIZ that they were a bit shocked by the rating and they were actually expecting an M rating. The company said it's considering what actions to take both here in the U.S. and in other countries. Germany and Australia, for example, are probably next to ban the game, we would guess.

The spokesperson also commented that there does appear to be a double standard of sorts when looking at videogames compared to movies or television. There are of course countless horror movies that contain enormous amounts of blood, sex and violence and these films are usually rated R. Politicians and critics of the industry, however, claim that the interactivity of a game makes a major difference on the effect it has on an individual.

One thing is certain, though. If Manhunt 2 is not modified so that it can receive the M rating, or if Rockstar/Take-Two can't convince the ESRB to change the AO rating, then the game's sales will be hurt tremendously. Wal-mart and a number of other leading retailers absolutely refuse to carry any AO titles. When GTA: San Andreas was re-rated AO after the "Hot Coffee" scandal, the game was almost immediately pulled from retail until a modified version was shipped out with the offending contents removed and a new M rating in place. It's estimated that the re-rating of San Andreas cost Take-Two around $25 million.