Thompson Demands Wendy's Cut Wii Promotion

Notorious video game-targeting attorney Jack Thompson (pictured left) has demanded that fast food chain Wendy's cancel its promotional tie-in themed around Nintendo's Wii console, due to the upcoming release of Rockstar Toronto's upcoming game Manhunt 2 on Wii. The Wii promotion, which according to the official Wendy's site is "coming soon," features toys themed around the Wii console itself as well as Nintendo-published games such as Wii Sports and Excite Truck. Manhunt 2, to be published by Rockstar Games this July on Wii, PlayStation 2, and PSP, has no connection to the program.

In a letter sent from Thompson to Wendy's CEO Kerri Anderson and forwarded to various gaming news outlets, Thompson demands that Wendy's "cancel the Wii Kids' Meal promotion immediately." According to Thompson, the mere existence of Manhunt 2 on the Wii platform results in a high level of "inappropriateness of the above upcoming promotion at Wendy's."

Thompson has previously claimed that Rockstar North's original Manhunt (PS2, Xbox, PC) has directly influenced violent crime. This March, publisher Take-Two Interactive pre-emptively sued Thompson under the expectation that Thompson would take legal action against Take-Two for Manhunt 2. Last month, the parties reached a settlement.

"[Manhunt 2] will feature, according to video game news sites, beheadings with hatchets, bludgeonings with baseball bats, the jamming of syringes into eyeballs, cutting opponents' testicles off, and 'environtmental [sic] kills' in which common objects in the field of vision, such as electrical cords to strangle victims," reads the letter addressed to Anderson. "One pro-video game industry site is referring to Manhunt 2 as a 'true murder simulator' when played on Wii." Thompson, who bafflingly refers to the Wii as a "kid-friendly...game platform," cites a 2005 American Psychological Association report linking video game play to aggression in teens, claiming that with its motion-sensitive controller the Wii will exacerbate that existing alleged causal relationship.

"A dear friend of mine worked for Wendy's and with Dave Thomas closely for years," wrote Thompson. "From that I know that Dave Thomas never would have tolerated the use of Wendy's good name to promote Nintendo's Wii, not with this game available on the Wii platform."

Nice to see our man Jack is at it again. I'm suprised he has time for this, what with the Virginia tech massacre still taking up his attention

As much as I hate Jack Thompson, it's nice to hear he's still goin' at it.

Sometimes I need to hear a story about this turd to make me feel better about my own life.

By the way, what do you think that Thompson says about what just recently happened in California US, when some guy accused some other from stealing PlayStation (i believe it was PS3, heard it on the radio and there they said only PS) and the guy who was accused, shot the other guy and wounded few others who were around. If this was a bit inaccurate, it's because i didn't hear it good enough.

This man is such an idiot. All he does is create publicity for the games he hates.

JT is secretly employed by the gaming communities to provide free publicity. After the Wendy suit, he's going after the Children foundation.

Nintendo are hypocrites for talking out against bad games then letting them on system. Thompson should go after Nintendo and shame them, most parents don't know about Manhunt 2 and would be shocked and mad at Nintendo. Nintendo would drop game.

You can't be serious...do we really have to explain this?

Just because Nintendo chooses not to make violent games, doesn't mean they don't allow 3rd parties to make such games. The labels on the games are a warning to parents...a game like Manhunt 2 has an M rating and an explanation of why the game is rated M. Parents are responsible for making sure their kids don't play such games if they don't want them to.

"Most parents don't know about Manhunt 2 and would be shocked and mad at Nintendo." That's quite possible...I can see it now. A mom walks into the room, and sees her 12 year old playing this extremely violent game, and immediately places blame on Nintendo for making such a horrible game, yadda yadda.

Nintendo isn't held responsible for 3rd party games if they're properly rated. Even so, I'm pretty sure when Manhunt 2 was announced for the Wii, Nintendo issued a notice, telling parents to make sure to check the ESRB labels and everything. "Most parents would be shocked and mad...", they'd be mad because they like to place blame on others and are unaware of their own children's activities.

Heinz, its true, they didnt let really violent games on their system a few years ago; i remember some Nintendo executive in NA saying that GTA will never appear on a nintendo console. However, you cant exactly call them hypocrites, they have changed the company policy etc. The company is very different to what it was 4 years ago. About who gets the blame though... i reckon that American parents are idiots and dont look at the labels when they buy games, and when they realise that its extremely violent they try and blame someone else, when they should blame themselves...

well let's not limit this to Americans...

800! 

Nintendo never said GTA would not appear on their consoles. They said "Mario will never beat hookers with a baseball bat". Which means, Nintendo doesn't make violent games. Back on Topic, Jack Thompson is an ass. I hope this is an issue Nintendians as well as Sonians can agree on. As if the Wii didn't have parental controls for those parents who are still too lazy to properly parent their kids. Oh noes! violent games are on PC's! And Mobile Phones! Better ban them! Anyone ever play drugwars on their calculator? Better ban calculators!