Rockstar Games says it's "disappointed" that retailers Target and Kmart have banned the sale of "Grand Theft Auto 5" at its stores in Australia due to the game's depiction of violence against women.

Strauss Zelnick, chairman and CEO of Rockstar's subsidiary company Take-Two Interactive, says the company regrets that Australian retailers came to the decision to stop selling the game to consumers.  

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"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," Zelnick said in a statement.

Three women who were survivors of violence set up a petition on change.org to convince retailer Target in Australia to withdraw from selling the game. The women claim "GTA 5" turns the violence that they lived through into entertainment.

"It's a game that encourages players to murder women for entertainment. The incentive is to commit sexual violence against women, then abuse or kill them to proceed or get 'health' points," the petition reads.

The petition gathered more than 40,000 signatures and led to the decision of Target Austraila to take "GTA 5" off its shelves.

Zelnick adds that "GTA 5" explores mature content that can be found in many other video games and means of entertainment. "Interactive entertainment is today's most compelling art form and shares the same creative freedom as books, television, and movies," he added.

The Target ban has led other Australian retailers such as Kmart to follow suit. But a spokesman for Minnesota-based Target Corp., Evan Lapiska, reassures fans in the U.S. that the came will continue to be sold in North America. 

TagsGrand Theft Auto V, GTA 5, Rockstar Games, GTA ban, Target Australia, Kmart, sexual violence, Petition