New Era Interactive Media, the distributor of the Grand Theft Auto games in Thailand, has opted to pull GTA from store shelves after a teenager confessed to robbing and killing a taxi driver while trying to recreate a scene from the game series. Learn more after the jump.

Electronic Arts has announced that it will not buy Take-Two just yet. The company has made an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission that it will wait until the FTC finishes its probe into the takeover proposal. More in the full article.

Although Sony's overall operating profit increased this year, the company's gaming division saw a huge operating loss of JP¥ 132 billion. Still, it's an incredible improvement from last year's loss. Full story after the "read more" link below.

A lot of talk has been going around regarding the currently pending Activision-Vivendi deal and EA's US$ 2 billion offer for Take-Two Interactive. While it may seem that mergers and acquisitions are the current trend, THQ's Chief Executive Brian Farrell feels that it isn't a necessity for company growth. To find out more, head on over to the full article.

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. has revealed that it has received a Wells notice from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This according to Reuters.

The Wells notice indicates that charges may be filed against Take-Two by the SEC concerning the stock options debacle that hounded the company in the past. According to Reuters, Take-Two revealed in an SEC filing that the company was informed by SEC staff who planned to get authorization from the Commission to file charges as well as go after a civil monetary penalty.

This is the latest blow against Take-Two. Earlier this month, the company announced that it will be delaying the release of Grand Theft Auto IV (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). The release date for Manhunt 2 (Wii, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2) has also been changed. Take-Two still has one final chance to try and convince the SEC not to file charges.

 

Take-Two Interactive Software has temporarily suspended their plans to distribute Manhunt 2 in the wake of the game's current pariah status among game retailers, console companies, and ratings groups.

According to Reuters, the company has "temporarily suspended" distribution plans for Manhunt 2 as it reviews its options following the game's banning in the UK and its subsequent "Adults Only" rating in America. In addition to the UK banning of the game, Sony and Nintendo follow a policy of not allowing playback of Adults Only titles on their platforms, essentially killing the game upon release in its current state.

Said Take-Two in a statement, "We continue to stand behind this extraordinary game. We believe in freedom of creative expression, as well as responsible marketing, both of which are essential to our business of making great entertainment."

Following this, Take-Two's options are limited to releasing the game in its current state for the PC, reworking the game to remove its AO rating, or dropping the game outright. Chances are though, they'll rework the game to move the rating into more profitable territory. While the hoopla behind the game's release may have brought public scrutiny on the game, gamers are definitely more aware of the game now, especially following the game's favorable review on NGamer. Hopefully, Rockstar Games will be able to keep the game's important nuances intact whilst making it more ratings-friendly.