Manhunt is a
stealth-based
survival horrorvideo game developed by
Rockstar North and published by
Rockstar Games. It was originally released for the
PlayStation 2 on November 18, 2003, and for
Microsoft Windows and
Xbox on April 20, 2004. The game was also re-released through the
PlayStation Network for the
PlayStation 3 and
PlayStation 4 in 2013 and 2016, respectively. Players control James Earl Cash (voiced by Stephen Wilfong), a death row prisoner forced to participate in a series of
snuff films for an underground director, former film producer Lionel Starkweather (
Brian Cox).
The game received positive reviews by critics, with particular praise directed at its dark tone and violent nature. The game also received great
controversy, due to the level of
graphic violence in the game. It was banned in several countries, and implicated in a murder by the
UK media, although this implication was later rejected by the police and courts. The game won several accolades, and spawned the sequel
Manhunt 2 in 2007. As of March 2008, the
series has collectively sold 1.7 million copies.