No penalties or fines to be imposed upon publisher

Publisher Take-Two announces today that it has reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its role in the GTA: San Andreas Hot Coffee "incident", putting a close the investigation it has been subject to since last year. Based on its findings, the FTC has unanimously approved the "Consent Order and Agreement" with Take-Two, deciding to take no further actions against Take-Two. Additionally, no penalties or fines will be issued against the publisher. Take-Two did get a warning to not misrepresent a video game's rating or content again, and has been encouraged to implement a "system" to ensure all its game content will be properly reviewed by ratings authorities.

Paul Eibeler, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are extremely pleased that the FTC has concluded its very thorough investigation, and that the matter has been resolved. We recognize the importance of maintaining public confidence in the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating system and helping the ESRB educate parents and consumers about the rating system. We look forward to putting this behind us and focusing on what we do best - creating video games."

Now it remains to be seen what lies ahead for the publisher in a separate investigation in New York.