osted July 21, 2005 -- "OUCH, that burns!" That's what it must sound like over at Rockstar Games now that the company must deal with the nightmare that has become the "Hot Coffee" software patch.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has stripped the M (Mature 17+) rating for the popular, yet controversial, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas after the board's investigation confirmed that the Hot Coffee patch allows users playing the game to unlock "hidden" mini sex games. Rockstar Games, the publisher of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, was forced to immediately advise retailers to cease all sales of the game until corrective actions can be taken. Rockstar Games will have to re-sticker all copies of the game and refund money for any games returned by the public.

“After a thorough investigation, we have concluded that sexually explicit material exists in a fully rendered, unmodified form on the final discs of all three platform versions of the game (i.e., PC CD-ROM, Xbox and PS2),” ESRB president Patricia Vance said in a statement Wednesday.

However, the material was programmed by Rockstar to be inaccessible to the player and was never intended to be made accessible, company officials said. The material can only be accessed by downloading a software patch, created by an independent third party without Rockstar’s permission, which is now freely available on the internet and through console accessories, they said.

"Considering the existence of the undisclosed and highly pertinent content on the final discs, compounded by the broad distribution of the third party modification, the credibility and utility of the initial ESRB rating has been seriously undermined,” the statement reads.

This ruling has set the video game industry on fire and has even pulled unwitting politiicians, like Sen. Hilary Clinton (D-N.Y.), into the mix. Clinton recently announced her intention to introduce new legislation aimed at protecting the nation's children against violent and pornographic video games by imposing fines on any retailer selling or renting such games to children under 18.

"The bottom line is that video games with truly pornographic and violent content is being marketed to our children," Clinton said. "As parents and advocates for children, we have to draw the line."

In light of the ESRB's ruling, Rockstar Games and its parent company Take 2 Interactive have reduced their Q3 and full-year revenue forecasts from $205-215 million to $160-170 million.

__________________