Sony apologizes for setting video-game shootout in Manchester Cathedral
Sony has said it's sorry for using an Anglican cathedral as a background for a bloody shootout in a video game--but it doesn't have any plans to withdraw the game anytime soon.
According to the BBC, the company on Friday printed a public apology in the Manchester Evening News for any offense caused by its Resistance: Fall of Man game, which includes a gruesome battle between soldiers and aliens in a building that resembles Manchester Cathedral.
"It was never our intention to offend anyone in the making of this game, and we would like to apologize unreservedly to them for causing that offense, and to all parts of the community who we might also have offended," said David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, according to the BBC.
Sony may be sorry, but it might not be sorry enough for some folks.
Church authorities had expressed shock and outrage when they discovered that the cathedral made an appearance in the game. The Church of England called on Sony to withdraw the game and make a donation to Manchester Cathedral's efforts to fight gun crime in that British city.
But Sony apparently has ignored the church's requests and has no plans on either making a donation or withdrawing the game. It says the matter is "closed."
And while Sony says it won't make such a mistake again, church leaders aren't so sure. They fear that another religious building could be "cloned for virtual desecration," said the Very Reverend Roger Govender, Cathedral Dean, according to the BBC.
Desiree Everts is an associate editor at CNET News who has focused on the digital media and telecommunications industries. E-mail Desiree. 
