Controversial game Manhunt might be returning via Xbox backwards compatibility

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Rockstar's infamous 2003 game could be heading back to Xbox consoles

Manhunt
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Controversial game Manhunt could be coming back through Xbox's backwards compatibility feature.

Just below, you can see a tweet from Xbox Era's Bruno Costa, which surfaced earlier today on November 11. In the tweet itself, Costa notes that several games have just been added back to the original Xbox marketplace, including Manhunt, Dead or Alive 1 through 3, Max Payne and its sequel, and Red Dead Revolver, among some other older games.

This, the user speculates, could be a prelude to the games list here arriving on Xbox's backwards compatibility feature for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S. If you're unfamiliar with the original game, Manhunt is a stealth-action horror game, originally released all the way back in 2003 for the PS2, before launching on the Xbox and PC a year later in 2004.

The controversial nature of the game comes from its depiction of graphic violence. A few years after launch in 2007, former Rockstar developer Jeff Williams actually revealed that the level of violence made some of the development staff uncomfortable, writing that there was "almost a mutiny at the company over that game."

Williams would go on to write that the development staff knew they were "crossing a line" with the violence in Manhunt, and it drew the ire of U.S. Representative Joe Baca. The San Bernardino County Representative proposed legislation that aimed to force publishers to put warning labels on games that violent behavior had been linked to exposure to violent video games, although this was never passed.

Check out our best games on Xbox Game Pass guide for a list of all the great titles you can sample until Manhunt maybe arrives.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.