Church Of England Threatens To Sue Over Resistance

Officials from the Church of England have confirmed that they are to send a letter to Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEE) demanding an apology and compensation over the inclusion of Manchester Cathedral in Insomniac Games’ PlayStation 3 exclusive Resistance: Fall of Man. The story has been widely reported by the British media over the weekend, and revolves around the use of Manchester Cathedral during a section of the first person shoot ‘em-up. The Church claims that Sony was not given permission to use the interiors of the building in the game. According to a BBC News report, SCEE has responded to the complaints by saying: "Resistance: Fall of Man is a fantasy science fiction game and is not based on reality. We believe we have sought and received all permissions necessary for the creation of the game." The BBC further quotes the Bishop of Manchester, the Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch, as saying, "For a global manufacturer 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." A further report from the BBC indicates that Church leaders are making four key demands, prior to taking any legal action: that Sony issue an apology; that the game is withdrawn from sale or the cathedral interior section remove; that Sony make a substantial donation to the cathedral’s education department; and that Sony supports anti-gun crime groups based in Manchester.