Take-Two Interactive Software, the publisher of the highly successful Grand Theft Auto video game series, has entered into a settlement agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for $3 million. 

The SEC made the announcement on Wednesday and said that the settlement relates to pending SEC charges that Take-Two had acted to falsify financial records as part of a stock option-backdating scheme.

The SEC had claimed several years ago that Take-Two had backdated stock options that could be exercised at a strike price lower than where the stock was trading on the day the options were granted to its officers, directors, and key employees. The key claim against Take-Two was that it had defrauded company investors by failing to properly record the stock option compensation grant date and the strike price.

Take-Two did not admit or deny the SEC’s allegations, but it had announced over two years ago that it had been contacted by the SEC about the allegations and that it would settle the matter rather than litigate it.