Rockstar in crediting controversy

No stranger to controversy, Rockstar has once again hit the internet headlines, this time regarding the credits in Manhunt 2.

In a blog post by Jurie Horneman, previously the game’s producer, it has been revealed that the instruction manual of the recently-released US version of the game fails to credit any of the work done by Rockstar’s Vienna studio, which was unexpectedly closed in 2006.

“To the best of my knowledge, apart from the people who briefly went to Rockstar London to assist with development there, nobody from Rockstar Vienna is mentioned in the credits of Manhunt 2,” writes Horneman.

“I do not want to denigrate what Rockstar London did on Manhunt 2, but as far as I can tell (from analyzing screenshots, previews, etc.) the majority of the work we did at Rockstar Vienna is in the released game. Rearranged and modified, but it’s there.”

In addition to listing the more than 50 developers whose work goes uncredited, Horneman ended with his personal comment on the incident.

“I am disappointed and outraged that Rockstar Games tries to pretend that Rockstar Vienna and the work we did on Manhunt 2 never happened – the work of over 50 people, who put years of their lives into the project, trying to make the best game they could. I am proud to have been a part of that team.”

The issue of inconsistencies in crediting in the game development sector is currently a hot one. The Independent Game Developers Association has a Credit Standards Committee working on a formal standard for crediting, which is currently in beta.