LOS ANGELES — Target Australia is removing “Grand Theft Auto V” from store shelves after more than 40,000 people who say it encourages players to murder women for entertainment signed an online petition asking the retailer to stop selling the mature video game.

The decision is the latest in a long line of controversies sparked by the 17-year-old video game series that casts players as car-stealing criminals.

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Target Australia says it is removing “Grand Theft Auto V” from shelves in its 300 stores after more than 40,000 people signed an online petition. The Associated Press

“We’ve been speaking to many customers over recent days about the game, and there is a significant level of concern about the game’s content,” said Jim Cooper, Target Australia’s general manager of corporate affairs, on Wednesday. “We’ve also had customer feedback in support of us selling the game, and we respect their perspective on the issue.”

A petition posted Nov. 29 on Change.org called for Target Australia to stop selling “GTA V” because it “makes a game of bashing, killing and horrific violence against women.”

The latest installment in Rockstar Games’ action-adventure series centers on a trio of bank robbers in Los Santos, a tongue-in-cheek rendition of Los Angeles. The open-world, third-person game allows players to visit virtual strip clubs, hire prostitutes and commit violent acts, as well as play tennis, perform yoga and ride a roller coaster.

“GTA V” originally debuted in 2013 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A new edition for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One released last month adds the ability to play in a first-person perspective, offering a closer glimpse at gameplay, including sex acts that were previously obscured.

Strauss Zelnick, chairman and CEO of Rockstar Games’ parent company, Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., called the Australian retailer’s decision to stop selling the game disappointing.

“‘Grand Theft Auto V’ explores mature themes and content similar to those found in many other popular and groundbreaking entertainment properties,” Zelnick said. “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.”

Cooper said Target Australia would continue to sell other R-rated DVDs and games.

Target Australia operates more than 300 stores and is owned by Wesfarmers Ltd. Evan Lapiska, a spokesman for Minneapolis-based Target Corp., noted that Target Australia is not operated by the U.S. retail company.

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