In a previous article we mentioned that the leaked version of Manhunt 2 was made available by an employee who wasn’t part of the Rockstar staff. According to anonymous sources, the man has already been sacked and it seems that he was a Sony Computer Entertainment Europe employee. He was granted access to the preview copy of Manhunt 2 and leaked it online, making it available for all gamers worldwide.
The copy was a play-test version, as it seems that such unauthorized actions happen all the time and many major producers have suffered from leaking affairs. Even the giant Square-Enix had its pride hurt, when Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII came out unofficially, being available on the Internet. As we’ve mentioned before, a similar example is the Silent Hill Origins demo, also leaked online, a couple of days before being shown to the fans at Leipzig GC 07.
I was under the impression that, by criticizing this phenomenon, us gaming journalists will show its negative effects and its frequency would decrease, but the word about Manhunt 2 barely got out and we could already stare at the leaked God of War: Chains of Olympus “not for resale” demo. What’s the deal with Sony’s employees anyway? One of them goes out and trashes Halo 3’s Wikipedia page by badmouthing it, this one leaks Manhunt 2 online…
They make that Konami employee who (presumably) leaked Origins seem like an innocent baby… Sony’s issues in the sales department and performance of the console can change the mentality of employers and employees, so we were bound to see a change of attitude from some staff members. Ever heard of loyalty? Even if Sony ever reaches the status of a sinking ship, a committed employee should stay (or leave) without projecting his frustrations through harmful actions.