Rockstar: GTA 'Hot Coffee' scandal was 'draining and upsetting'

Much of the attention surrounding Rockstar Games lately has been in regards to Grand Theft Auto V. However, in a new Guardian interview, company cofounder Dan Houser talked about the studio's past, specifically the controversy surrounding the sex minigame in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

"It was draining and upsetting; a tough time in the company," Houser said. He added, "The massive social decay that we were supposed to induce hasn't happened. So in that regard, a lot of those debates that used to go on, they're not such a big deal now."

Houser further claimed that Rockstar may have been unfairly attacked simply due to the fact that GTA: San Andreas was a game, not a movie or book.

"We never felt that we were being attacked for the content; we were being attacked for the medium, which felt a little unfair," he said. "If all of this stuff had been put into a book or a movie, people wouldn't have blinked an eye. And there are far bigger issues to worry about in society than this."

The sex minigame in GTA: San Andreas was discovered during the summer of 2005. It prompted an investigation from the Federal Trade Commission, attracted the attention of Hilary Clinton, and cost Take-Two an estimated $50 million.

GTAV is due out worldwide during spring 2013 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Wii U and PC versions are "up for consideration."