Jack Schofield 

Sony’s dead goat considered unsuitable

"It has come to our attention that at The God of War 2 launch showcase held in Athens, Greece, on 1st March 2007, an element of the event was of an unsuitable nature," a Sony spokesperson told gamesindustry.biz.
  
  


"It has come to our attention that at The God of War 2 launch showcase held in Athens, Greece, on 1st March 2007, an element of the event was of an unsuitable nature," a Sony spokesperson told gamesindustry.biz.

The response follows a story in yesterday's Mail on Sunday -- only two months late, but it's a newspaper that thrives on being outraged. The headline says: Slaughter: Horror at Sony's depraved promotion stunt with decapitated goat. It includes the photo above from Sony's Official PlayStation magazine (possibly now a collectors' item) with mosaic censorship.

According to the paper:

Sickening images of the party have appeared in the company's official PlayStation magazine - but after being contacted by The Mail on Sunday, Sony issued an apology for the gruesome stunt and promised to recall the entire print run.

Critics condemned the entertainment giant, which produces scores of Hollywood blockbusters each year, for its "blood lust" and said the grotesque "sacrifice" highlighted increasing concerns over the content of video games and the lengths to which the industry will go to exploit youngsters.

Sure, but what about the depths Sony will plumb to exploit the press? The Mail says guests "threw knives at targets and pulled live snakes from a pit with their bare hands."

Topless girls added to the louche atmosphere by dipping grapes into guests' mouths, while a male model portraying Kratos, the game's warrior hero, handed out garlands.

Shocked readers of the Mail's Web site have made comments such as: "if it was good enough for the greeks and romans it's good enough for me. This world has become far too ethically conscious and politically correct for my liking (A Johnson, London); and "Anyway, the game is really good" (Mattias, Sweden).

No British journalists were at the event, and Sony Computer Entertainment UK was not involved. So please don't phone the PR and ask why you weren't invited....

Still, the controversy gave the Mail group the chance to trail some more important stories, including: William racks up a £5,000 bar bill at Harry's farewell party, and Posh finds new £11m Beckingham Palace in Beverly Hills.

 

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