"It was never our intention to offend anyone in the making of this game, and we would like to apologise unreservedly to them for causing that offence, and to all parts of the community who might also have been offended," wrote Sony Computer Entertainment Europe president David Reeves, according to GamesIndustry.biz.

The controversy stemmed from developer Insomniac's use of Manchester Cathedral as the inspiration for a portion of a level in the violent first-person shooter, which is set in 1952 and depicts humanity's defense of Britain against the seemingly alien Chimera. The Church of England alleged that Insomniac and publisher Sony Computer Entertainment failed to secure the proper permissions to virtually recreate the cathedral, and in light of what Manchester bishop Nigel McCulloch described as the community's well known gun problem, demanded Sony support anti-violence campaigns as well as the cathedral's educational department, in addition to apologizing and modifying the offending in-game assets.

"It is clear to us that the connection between the congregation and the cathedral is a deeply personal and spiritual one," Reeves noted. "As a result, it is also clear that we have offended some of the congregation by using the cathedral in our science fiction game."