Right about now Take-Two exec Gary Dale is likely placing an order to change the plaque on his office door. The publisher sent word this afternoon that the executive VP has been promoted to the position of chief operating officer, a role with which he should be intimately familiar, having previously served as Rockstar's COO during 2007.

Currently the scope of Dale's new responsibilities remain vague, Take-Two noting only that he will continue to oversee the company's sales, international footprint, and business development, while keeping a watchful eye on the firm's various publishing labels. Take-Two CEO Ben Feder also emphasized Dale's role in the publisher's continuing growth, something we imagine will put the exec on the front lines, defending Take-Two from EA's insatiable hunger.

Officials at Capcom have announced that company exec Mark Beaumont has been handed the reigns as the publisher and developer's new chief operating officer for both North America and Europe. The promotion, which was effective as of April 1, is the second in as many years for Beaumont, who first joined the company in 2005 before being elevated to the position of executive VP and officer two years later.

Beaumont has more than 25 years of industry service to his credit dating back to the original incarnation of Atari. In his new role, the exec's responsibilities will include "growing and managing" Capcom's eye for Western development and licensing. It's a role that's likely to keep the man up to his eyeballs in paperwork given company exec's recent prediction that Capcom could "acquire a western studio in the next two years."

Ten-year Gamespot veteran Ricardo Torres has been promoted to editor-in-chief of the site, CNet announced today. "I'm excited to have the opportunity to help further GameSpot's position at the forefront of the industry," Torres said in a statement. "I'm eager to continue the site's tradition of excellence and I'm confident we can move forward into 2008 and set a new industry standard for how video games are covered."

The position has been unfilled since former editor-in-chief Greg Kasavin resigned to work in game development just over a year ago. Torres and Jeff Gerstmann headed served as co-editorial directors afterthat departure, until Gerstmann's controversial firing in December. In an official notice about the firing posted on the site, Torres said he and the rest of the Gamespot team "wish him nothing but good luck in his future endeavors."

European gamers often get shafted on prices, release dates, etc., so it fills our hearts to see them get treated with the loving care they so richly deserve for living on the planet's fanciest continent. For instance: If you can trick a friend into buying an Xbox 360 between Oct. 1 and Dec. 14 and fill out this form you and he/she can both get 10 free XBLA games, a full list of which is after the break.

Sadly for gamers in the States, you also have to live in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Finland or Norway. It's a great deal for those who can get it, though, almost enough to make us wish late 1770s colonists had taken a dive.

[Via SavyGamer]

Microsoft offers two free Xbox Live Arcade games if you bought a 360 and Live account over the past year. Fill out a short registration form and enter code "XBX0807" to qualify. However, the site is cagey about which games you'll get. The terms and conditions state that you'll receive an email code by September 30 to download the titles, but the offer "will be for games selected by Microsoft."

360 fence-sitters still have until September 15 to buy the console and net the games. And the promotion includes buyers as far back as August 8, 2006. The wording sounds like Live account renewals don't qualify, but we still registered. We've contacted Microsoft for clarification but hadn't heard specifics when this post went live. We'll update you when we learn more.

[Update: Microsoft told us it hasn't announced which games you'll get and also stated that the promotion is for new Live accounts only. So officially at least, Live renewals get no love.]

[Via Dealnews]

The Xbox Rewards program remains deadlocked today, following yesterday's launch, which apparently drew more prospective registrants than anticipated. If you've yet to register -- perhaps planning to leisurely earn your 'rewards' during the allotted month -- you've likely already missed out. 'Cause guess what? All those rewards are limited to finite numbers; paltry numbers when compared to Xbox Live's user base.

This isn't an 'Old Spice Challenge,' it's a Competition -- and no doubt there are enough registered players teens already racing to gobble up those prizes. If you're lucky, you might score (possibly another) copy of Contra, since 70,000 download codes will be handed out. But even the '100 Microsoft Points' prize (limited to 6,000 winners) could be gone by week's end. Bah, who wanted Fusion Frenzy 2 anyway?

Hint: Try this link.

Siliconera reports that copies of Riot Act (a.k.a. Crackdown) will contain download codes for Halo 3 Beta, extending Microsoft's promotion to Japanese gamers. Peter Moore recently reiterated to IGN that Microsoft is "not going to back down" in its aggressive campaign to popularize the Xbox brand in Japan.

Including the download code inside Riot Act retail boxes is a friendly gesture, but it's not going to generate as many sales as the promotion will in North America or Europe, where Halo is a dominant franchise; and FPS in general, a leading genre. Still, Moore insists that the beta promotion isn't about boosting Crackdown's exposure, but rather, is simply an opportunity to pair potentially M-rated Halo 3 with an M-rated title. Guess that explains why Viva Piñata didn't include keys to the beta.

Riot Act will be available on February 22 in Japan, two days after the game is released in North America. Halo 3 Beta download codes will also be included with the European version of Crackdown.

What burger-backed trio of minigames reached the 2-million-in-sales mark faster than Gears of War? That's right ... Burger King's Value Meal threesome! Well, technically, 2 million is the number of combined sales (of the three games: Pocketbike Racer, Big Bumpin', and Sneak King); and each is only $3.99 with the purchase of an E. coli-free meal.

Still, 2 million of these games consumed in just four weeks must represent a milestone in the evolution of fast food chain promotions. Look to Taco Bell to start thinking inside your 'Box to claw its way out of the doghouse.

Get used to some new titles for the top people responsible for the PlayStation. Sony announced today that current Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi will become the chairman and group CEO of the division. He will be replaced by Sony Computer Entertainment America chief Kaz Hirai, who will move to Tokyo to lead the worldwide group. SCEA vice president and co-COO Jack Tretton moves up to take Hirai's former place, becoming the first American to hold the hold the top post at the American computer entertainment division. The changes take effect tomorrow.

What to make of the reshuffling? While the new chairman title is a nominal promotion for Kutaragi, it's hard to see this as anything but a rebuke for the "father of the PlayStation" after the PS3 launch was beset by delays and missed production targets. Sounds to us like he's been told to go sit in the corner (office) and think about the "big picture." Hirai, who has been the more public face of the PlayStation in America, will now have a more active role in overseeing the PlayStation's worldwide fortunes. Get used to seeing a lot more of Tretton, a Sony veteran who has operated mostly behind-the-scenes until this point.

Read -- Bloomberg Story on Reshuffle
Read -- SCE Announces New Management Team (press release)
Read -- SCEA Elevates Jack Tretton ... Kaz Hirai (press release)

FierceGameBiz reports that used-technology distributor NovaDataCom is hosting a PlayStation 3 release party at Washington, D.C. club Ultra Bar this Thursday night. Beginning at 12:01 am (Friday morning) 1,000 PS3 units will be available for purchase -- for $1,200 apiece!

P.T. Barnum said it best: "There's a [drunken] sucker born every minute..."

Stephen Colbert (the 't' is silent) has made a minor contribution to the MI6 conference, taking place June 27th and 28th in San Francisco, Ca. In the teaser, Colbert announces the release of World of ColbertCraft. The game promises to be more popular that his last title, Stephen Colbert's Escape from Skateboard Mountain. However, as Colbert explains, "for cost reasons, [WoCC] also takes place on Skateboard Mountain."

Colbert adds that "on the Nintendo Wii, you can use the controller to wag my finger." All the clips seem to have been spliced together quickly; 1UP asserts that the full video will be up on Monday.

The MI6 conference is a game marketing event. It has no relation, unfortunately, to the United Kingdom secret service agency formerly known as MI6.

See Also:
Jon Stewart blasts Congress' ignorance towards video games

Are you in Chicago tonight for the big PLAY! concert tomorrow, but weren't willing to shell out $125 for the VIP meet-and-greet at the event? Well, you might be in luck (even if you're not attending), as a few famous folks from the concert will be on hand to sign autographs in Chicago proper for free tonight.

From 7 to 9 PM (presumably Central time) at the Tower Records store on 2301 N. Clark St., Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu, bilingual songstress Angela Aki (who wrote and sang the theme song for FFXII), and Principal Conductor and Music Director of PLAY! Arnie Roth will be signing autographs to promote the world-tour premiere of 'PLAY! A Video Game Symphony' and the CD for More Friends - Music from FINAL FANTASY.

While this blogger is sadly occupied with prior engagements tonight, gamers in the area are more than welcome to mob that Tower Records and cause the store's employees much consternation and bewilderment. If you don't have any imported CDs to sign, however, don't fret: the store's web site claims to have "some awesome Japanese imports available for you to purchase and have autographed at the event." Not only that, Angela Aki will be performing live as well. Score! Anybody wanna tell us how this evening turns out when it's all sung and done?

[Via The Daily Northwestern; image culled from Angela Aki's blog, Nobuo Uematsu's Squenix profile, and Arnie Roth's 2005 interview with IGN]

See also:

• Official page for Tower Clark Street (with details on the signing)
• Ticketmaster site for the PLAY! concert debut tomorrow
• Sonic and Chrono composers to join PLAY! in Chicago