Financial analysts are certainly having a field day with Manhunt 2, with its recent banning and all. They've tried to predict what Take-Two will do regarding their ultra-violent title, they've guessed as to why the publishing firm is getting all this bad rap - and now, they're saying that Manhunt 2's suspension could actually end up boosting the game's sales.

Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets is one of those analysts, saying that he doesn't believe the move to suspend Manhunt 2 will actually hurt the company's bottom line in the long run, but instead increase the game's exposure - thus boosting demand when it hits store shelves.

He also believes, as we've reported in an earlier article, that Take-Two will probably do what it has to do to lower the game's rating from the current Adults Only to a softer, more accessible Mature rating. And while it's a given that stores such as Wal-Mart will always be wary about customer backlash, the controversy itself is already free publicity - and savvy store-owners will take the risk of selling a Mature title that's already popular beyond belief.

Sebastian also notes that even if Manhunt 2 does tank, the struggling publisher still has an ace up its sleeve - namely, the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV - to fall back on. He puts it like so:

Relative to Grand Theft Auto it's [Manhunt 2] a lot less significant. Grand Theft Auto is the key driver. This is a second-tier title.

We acknowledge our roles as consumers in the video game industry. Our dollars dictate policy but as a video game developer, you are forced to seek out our dollars in as many places as possible. So as Manhunt 2 was banned in the United Kingdom from obtaining a rating and the ESRB awarded the game an Adults Only rating instead of the much more appropriate Mature, we saw the chances of Manhunt 2 becoming economically viable dwindle. We know that you, as a video game developer, need as many open channels as possible to remain profitable in this heavily competitive field. Which is why, to fans of the Manhunt series and violent games in general, today was a heavy blow not only to the gamers, but to the industry at large.

We know the AO rating carries with it some excessive weight. Weight which many retail chains will refuse to touch while allowing uncut versions of current musical acts, books, and even slasher movies to be released unchecked. And we see this as an inequality. The problem is, as the AO rating gets attached to games, no companies are willing to stand up against the perceived concept that a single year brings with it an understanding that somehow the average consumer did not possess before. The Adults Only rating carries with it a stigma of pornography which oushes many retail chains away. But we are tired of the double standard. We are tired of seeing games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas or The Punisher modified to obtain that M rating that seems all important to the retail chains.

We are not irrational children. We are adults and as such, we should be allowed to choose our media. Be this through the purchasing of a copy of Saw Uncut on DVD, the latest Marilyn Manson CD, a copy of American Psycho on Paperback, or even an uncut copy of Manhunt 2 for the PSP, PS2, or Wii. As an industry, we stand precariously upon a ledge. If we allow the banning or modifying of this game to remain unchecked, then we've cast the integrity of the game industry at large into the abyss. This same abyss that people in the past have stood strong against, refusing to cast A Clockwork Orange, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, or even Canterbury Tales to the darkness.

As consumers of violent video games, we understand the reactionary view those who are not part of our hobby will take. We also understand we are being unfairly burdened with the additional responsibility for parents who refuse to take an active role in the raising of their child, relying instead upon unchecked and unmonitored media. We cannot change this. For every group which insist the violence in the media is shaping a new generation of killers, we can only point at the evidence of fewer and fewer violent crimes within the gaming communities. This evidence will continue to go unheard and unheralded throughout a fear mongering society bent on telling us how much worse things are getting. We cannot change this, either.

But money is what motivates a retail chain to action and to reason. And so we propose this. If you must go back and rework Manhunt 2 in order to obtain that all important M rating, or even a rating in general, allow a second version, an uncut version. Give us, as adult consumers, a choice. Help us draw this line in the sand against game censorship. Give us channels obtain these uncut versions. And track every copy sold. If you put your faith in your consumer fanbase, we will reward you in kind. You can show these sales numbers, obtained through nontraditional channels, to the retail chains and help us right the inequality video games are held by. Sony Computer Entertainment and Nintendo should also support this effort, allowing two seperate SKUs on this product. If you are wary, make a limited run of the AO rated version. Allow us a chance to prove our support. If the uncut version cannot obtain a rating in the UK, simply sell it direct to the consumer and allow modified version to fill traditional channels.

So far, the petition has seen a decent number of signatures from across the continents. If you think that the petition is a valid one and you would like to join in, you can do so by following the URL below and signing up.

Manhunt 2: The Petition