Much of the buzz surrounding Take-Two has been over the recent release of Grand Theft Auto V. What you may not know, though, is that Take-Two just filed a dispute over the domain name valiant-ent.tv (WHOIS), which used to be a fake snuff website used to promote the psychological horror video game Manhunt. The domain name and website were owned and operated by Rockstar Games for years, until the company let the name expire in 2011 and its new owner launched a petition site aimed at having Manhunt 3 developed.
Why go after the name after more than 2 years since it changed owners? Is Manhunt 3 in the works?
There have been rumors of Take-Two introducing a Manhunt 3 before, but the rumors were quickly eliminated.
Take-Two filed the dispute (WIPO Case Number: DTV2013-0006) over valiant-ent.tv this week with the World Intellectual Property Organization. The case follows a number of successful filings against owners of other Take-Two related domains like GTAV.com and GTA5BetaCode.com.
Today, the identity of valiant-ent.tv’s owner is private according to WHOIS records, but the petition site is online.
A message on the site reads, “I strongly believe that there is still a desire to make a new Manhunt game within at least one of Rockstar Game’s many studios, I think it’s just a matter of showing Take-Two Interactive (Rockstar’s parent company) that there is still a high demand.” Despite the current owner’s efforts, only 4 signatures have been received, as you can see in the screenshot below.
The fake snuff website (SCREENSHOT) once owned and operated by Take-Two may or may not be coming back. Even if Take-Two wins the dispute and takes control of the domain, it’s only speculation that the video game company might one day release a Manhunt 3.
On a sidenote, if Take-Two decides to release a Manhunt sequel, they do own Manhunt3.com and Manhunt4.com.
UPDATE 2: Take-Two’s complaint over the domain name Valiant-Ent.tv has been denied by a sole panelist. Details of the ruling can be found here.
UPDATE 1:. Be advised, the Valiant-Ent website has devolved into graphic content since this story first broke earlier today. Do not visit the website unless you are prepared for adult content.
Talking about this story: Kotaku and Bloody Disgusting