FTC ends 'Hot Coffee' probe
Yearlong investigation into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas sex scandal ends with no fines levied; Take-Two "extremely pleased."
A yearlong Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation into Take-Two Interactive is finally and formally over, as the publisher today announced that the FTC unanimously approved a settlement outlined last month.
The investigation followed last year's discovery of the hidden "Hot Coffee" sex minigame in Take-Two's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. After the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) rerated the game AO for Adults Only, the FTC launched an investigation into the company's advertising practices surrounding the game. Take-Two recalled all copies of San Andreas, releasing an edited version with the rating of M for Mature restored later on.
As part of the agreement, which sees no fines or penalties levied against Take-Two, the publisher has committed to not misrepresenting a game's rating or content descriptors. It also must set up a system to ensure that all game content is reviewed by the publisher in connection with a game's submission to the ESRB.
Take-Two CEO Paul Eibler said in a statement that the company was "extremely pleased" that the investigation was finally over.
"We recognize the importance of maintaining public confidence in the Entertainment Software Rating Board rating system and helping the ESRB educate parents and consumers about the rating system," Eibler said. "We look forward to putting this behind us and focusing on what we do best--creating video games."
While Take-Two was not fined for the San Andreas controversy, the FTC last month did warn the publisher that if it violates the terms of its agreement in the future, it would carry a fine of $11,000 per violation. That might not sound like much to a company that can make hundreds of millions of dollars off of a hit like San Andreas, but it would be up to a judge to decide what constitutes a violation. Given that judges have ruled on FTC violations differently in the past, that could equal a fine for each copy sold, for each day a game was on sale with an improperly advertised rating, or for some other metric of the judge's choosing.
Content you might like…
-
Houser: GTAIV is not controversial
Rockstar's Dan Houser explains to UK magazine ShortList why GTAIV will change the way people see games.
- Apr 24, 2008
Users who looked at this article also looked at these content items.
Related Content
-
TNA Impact Video Feature 2
- Sep 16, 2008
Matches based on text similarity.
Hot Stories
Newsmakers
-
Q&A: Virtual Heroes training real heroes
PSPs teaching Hilton hoteliers? Silent Hill artists training Special Forces with RPGs? Grand Theft Auto designers helping police and paramedics? It's all in a day's work for CEO Jerry Heneghan's cutting-edge company. Full Story
- Posted Oct 3, 2008 4:31 pm PT
- 50 Comments
-
Q&A: Robomodo rises from EA Chicago scrapheap
Fight Night alums and cofounders Joshua Tsui and David Michicich talk about founding a new studio and starting over as an indie shop--working on a major Activision IP. Full Story
- Posted Sep 29, 2008 9:00 pm PT
- 7 Comments
Featured Stories
-
Nintendo announces DSi
Third iteration of DS console to be released in Japan on November 1; features bigger screen, SD memory slot, two cameras. Full Story
- Posted Oct 2, 2008 1:54 am PT
- 485 Comments
242 Comments