Now Kmart pulls Grand Theft Auto V from shelves

A second Australian retailer has pulled Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V from sale.

Kotaku Australia reports that Kmart Australia has joined Target – both of which are owned by Wesfarmers, incidentally – is dropping GTA V over concerns about its content.

Following a significant review of all content in Grand Theft Auto Games Kmart has taken the decision to remove this product immediately,” the company said. ”Kmart apologises for not being closer to the content of this game.”

Target’s decision yesterday reportedly came after a petition demanding the game’s removal attracted over 40,000 signatures.

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," Take-Two chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick said of Target’s decision yesterday.

"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.”

Australia has historically had a turbulent relationship with violent and mature games, having only last year introduced an 18+ rating. Prior to this all games that were unsuitable for the under 15s were banned from sale.