Rockstar has confirmed that it will be appealing the decision by the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) to effectively ban the game in the United Kingdom by refusing it certification.

Manhunter 2 was the first game banned by the BBFC in 10 years and several other countries have since joined in banning the product, including Ireland. The company is to file a request for arbitration with the Video Appeals Committee (VAC) and has halted the game's release.

"We are very proud of Manhunter 2 and believe it builds on what the team accomplished in the first title in the series," the company said.

"The game was created as a horror experience and to be an M rated title, aligning it with similar forms of horror content in other forms of media. Unlike many other people, we do not think that video games should be singled out for special treatment by the authorities."

The VAC will now consider the appeal by Rockstar, which was made days before the time limit to contest the BBFC ruling was reached. The appeals process will see VAC members trying the game and hearing arguments from both sides.