Take-Two's Chief Operating Officer Exits, Stage Left (Kotaku 16/1/09)

It seems like just two years ago that we were reporting that Capcom Europe's Gary Dale was heading to Take-Two as Chief Operating Officer of Rockstar. Wait it was two years ago, and now he's leaving?

Dale did spend his two years at the company doing a lot of ladder climbing, first being promoted to executive vice president of Take-Two and then, in July of last year, to COO of Take-Two.

Dale's last day at Take-Two Interactive Software will be April 15, according to a filing today with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Gary Dale’s employment as Chief Operating Officer of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (the “Company”) will terminate effective on April 15, 2009, and the Company will have no further material obligations to Mr. Dale beyond that date. Mr. Dale’s day-to-day duties and responsibilities for the Company will cease immediately.

The news comes just a month after Take-Two announced that they expect a loss of as much as 85 cents a share for the year's first quarter, which ends this month.

During his short tenure with the company, Dale helped Take-Two stop an aggressive $2 billion takeover offer from Electronic Arts and saw the launch of critically-acclaimed Grand Theft Auto IV.

Reached for comment this morning, vice president of corporate communications Alan Lewis said that Dale left for personal reasons.

"He has resigned from the company and the company does not currently expect to fill the Chief Operating Office job," he said. "His responsibilities have been filled by the remaining member of the exec management team."

Lewis added that this was not a move to cut costs or part of any larger initiative at Take-Two.

"People move on for all kinds of personal reasons," he said.