In light of recent criticism being directed at their God of War II promo party in Athens, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) has further stated that they did not condone animal cruelty.

"Sony Computer Entertainment Europe does not in any way, shape or form condone cruelty or mistreatment of animals," the SCEE spokesman stated. "Sony Computer Entertainment Europe takes the sensitivities of the general public and issues of animal welfare very seriously and is sorry for any offence or distress the event or perception of this event may have caused."

At the said promo party, UK's Daily Mail tabloid ran an article stating that the event's centerpiece was a "freshly decapitated" goat, as indicated in Official PlayStation Magazine. Sony has since apologized for the incident, and has promised to pull out OPM's latest issues from news stands. There is still no word regarding the company's stand on the boobies also sighted at the promo party. Just keep posted in case concerned animal rights groups (i.e. PETA) decide to come back with a reply.

British middle-market newspaper The Daily Mail reports that Sony is receiving criticism for a promo stunt gone bad. According to the newspaper, the electronics giant used a "freshly slaughtered goat" as the centerpiece of a party to promote the PS2 title God of War II. The stunt has sparked the ire of critics and animal rights organizations.

Images from the party in question, which was held last month in Athens, reportedly appeared in Sony's official PlayStation magazine, but according to the Mail, Sony issued "an apology for the gruesome stunt and promised to recall the entire print run." The magazine was due to hit newsstands on Tuesday. According to the Mail, however, subscribers have already gotten their copies.

A spokesman from Sony said that the animal had not been slaughtered for the event but had been bought from a local butcher by the Greek company hired to stage the event. Sony is currently conducting an internal inquiry into "aspects of the event in order to learn from the occurrence and put into place measures to ensure that this does not happen again."