Following a verbal lashing this week from California assemblyman
Leland Yee (D-San Francisco),
the ESRB said it was launching an investigation into Rockstar Games' best-seller
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to determine whether the game contained
sexually explicit minigames hidden in its code.
ESRB president Patricia
Vance said her organization has "opened an investigation into the circumstances
surrounding the
'Hot Coffee' modification." "Hot Coffee" refers to the mod that, when
installed on a PC with San Andreas on it, unlocks several minigames that prompt
players to have the game's hero engage in X-rated acts. The ESRB's investigation
will examine whether the mod unlocks preexisting code, as appears to be the
case, or is actually a purely third-party creation. Its ultimate purpose will be
to determine if Take-Two violated ESRB regulations requiring "full disclosure of
pertinent content."
Rockstar alerted the press late in the day that is aware of the investigation
by the ESRB. "We can confirm the ESRB is conducting an investigation and that we
will be complying fully with their enquiries," the statement read. "We
thoroughly support the work of the esrb, and believe that it has an exemplary
record of rating games and promoting understanding of video game content. We
also feel confident that the investigation will uphold the original rating of
the game, as the work of the mod community is beyond the scope of either
publishers or the ESRB."
Updated:10:43 AM CET Jan,09
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