Take Two Interactive founder Ryan Brant has announced his resignation from the beleaguered game studio.
Brant has been on disability leave for a back injury since June. Brant,s company has been under a firestorm of bad publicity since the publication of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which included sexually explicit scenes hidden in the game. Take Two has maintained that the mini-games were never meant for public viewing, although the material was in the game. The incident has elicited a huge amount of negative publicity for the gaming industry, as well.
Take Two Interactive was also being investigated by the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) over charges regarding business account abnormalities, stock price interference and inflating revenue figures. Take Two was fined $7.5 million by the SEC. Brant stepped down from his post as CEO in 2001 and then from being chairman in 2004.
No announcements have been made as to a replacement for the production vacancy left by Brant, but observers will note that this announcement comes just as Take Two’s Bully arrives on store shelves.
