Take-Two promotes Dale to COO

Former executive VP started with company unit in 1998

By Danny King -- Video Business, 8/15/2008

AUG. 15 | Take-Two Interactive, publisher of the record-setting videogame franchise Grand Theft Auto, promoted executive VP Gary Dale to chief operating officer.

Dale will be in charge of Take-Two’s sales operations and publishing labels, the company said in a statement yesterday. Dale started working for Take-Two when the company acquired BMG Interactive, where Dale was an executive, 10 years ago.

Take-Two has helped fuel a videogames industry in which U.S. sales of hardware and software through the end of last month jumped 35% from a year earlier to $9.47 billion, according to NPD Group. The company’s GTA IV title set one-day and first-week all-time records for videogames after its April 29 release.

Dale “is highly experienced in many of the disciplines that will be essential to Take-Two's future growth, including the operations of our publishing labels, global market expansion, sales and distribution and business development,” Take-Two CEO Ben Feder said in the statement.”

Take-Two has been the subject of repeated and unsuccessful takeover bids from larger competitor Electronic Arts. EA first made its $2 billion offer for Take-Two in February.