Although set to be release during next month, the future of Manhunt 2 is uncertain. As we previously announced the game was banned in UK and Ireland. Today Entertainment Software Rating Board announced the game will be rated AO (Adults Only).

This could mean a potential financial disaster because the retailers like WalMart or BestBuy won’t agree to sell a game rated as AO.

And that’s not all. According to their policy, nor Nintendo nor Sony would support on their gaming platforms an AO rated-title.

In fact, Nintendo was already announced its opinion about Manhunt 2’s rating. Speaking with GameDaily.biz, a Nintendo spokesperson said: "Games made for Nintendo systems enjoy a broad variety of styles, genres and ratings. These are some of the reasons our Wii and Nintendo DS systems appeal to such a broad range of people. But as with books, television and movies, different content is meant for different audiences. That's why the ESRB provides ratings to help consumers understand the content of a game before they purchase it. As stated on Nintendo.com, Nintendo does not allow any AO-rated content on its systems."

Sony adopted a similar position and a company’s spokesperson told GameSpot, "It's currently our policy not to allow the playback of AO-rated content on our systems."

Although Manhunt 2 is set to be released only for Wii and PS2, Microsoft also announced it won’t allow AO titles on its Xbox 360 platform.

“We believe the process of rating video games is to help people make informed entertainment choices and not to limit them,” a Take-Two representative said. “Manhunt 2 was created for mature audiences and we strongly believe it should receive an M (Mature) rating, aligning it with similar content created in other forms of media. We are exploring our options with regard to the rating of Manhunt 2.”

For the moment, it is still unclear which will be Rockstar’s decision. They could appeal over AO rating or modify the game in order to receive a M rating, as the first Manhunt.

Two years ago, when Rockstar was caught in a middle of a scandal due to a sex-minigame hidden in its GTA: San Andreas, the game was rerated as AO instead of M. Take Two decided to recall the game rather than sell it with the new rating.