Update:

Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of GTA V publisher Take-Two Interactive, provided IGN with the following statement:



“We are disappointed that an Australian retailer has chosen no longer to sell Grand Theft Auto V -- a title that has won extraordinary critical acclaim and has been enjoyed by tens of millions of consumers around the world. Grand Theft Auto V explores mature themes and content similar to those found in many other popular and groundbreaking entertainment properties. Interactive entertainment is today's most compelling art form and shares the same creative freedom as books, television, and movies. I stand behind our products, the people who create them, and the consumers who play them.”

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Target Australia has announced it will be removing Grand Theft Auto V from its shelves and will no longer sell the game.The company claims the decision was made following "feedback from customers about the game's depictions of violence against women."Target Australia's general manager of corporate affairs Jim Cooper said the call was made because of "community and customer concern" about Rockstar's open-world crime game."We've been speaking to many customers over recent days about the game, and there is a significant level of concern about the game's content," said Cooper."We've also had customer feedback in support of us selling the game, and we respect their perspective on the issue. However, we feel the decision to stop selling GTA V is in line with the majority view of our customers."Cooper explained that Target will continue to sell other R-rated DVDs and video games."While these products often contain imagery that some customers find offensive, in the vast majority of cases, we believe they are appropriate products for us to sell to adult customers. However, in the case of GTA V, we have listened to the strong feedback from customers that this is not a product they want us to sell."A few days ago a petition on Change.org was launched by female survivors of violence in the hopes of having GTA V pulled from the shelves of Target Australia. As of writing, the campaign has gained over 40,000 supporters."Please Target," the campaign reads, "we appeal to you as women survivors of violence, including women who experienced violence in the sex industry, to immediately withdraw Grand Theft Auto V from sale."IGN Australia will contact Target Australia and Rockstar for comment on the matter as soon as possible.

Wesley Copeland is a freelance news writer, but you probably already guessed that. For more obvious statements, you should probably follow him on Twitter