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Take-Two appoints COO Karl Slatoff as president

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 08 May 2013 07:00:00 EST

Tuesday 7 May

? ? ? lbs. I never weigh myself on a day of celebration.

Food consumed today: King Crab Legs in a bucket, like a boss!

Late afternoon. New York. Manhattan. Red Lobster in Times Square.

Dearest Diary,

It's been ever so long, but I must put emotion to paper. I'm writing this from a men's room stall at Red Lobster because I couldn't hold it in any longer. Don't be vulgar, Di! I mean my emotion! The 8-K filing went public today, and it says Karl Slatoff is now president at Take-Two and I just had to tell you.

Karl's been my chief operating officer since 2010 (when I became CE-O-O-Oh yeah!) and it was about time for him to take on another "newly created role" like last time. And since Karl is a kingly name, and heavy is my head that wears the crown, I figured we should go for king crab at Red Lobster.

"But they don't serve king crab at Red Lobster, only snow crab," you say. True, but Karl and I - to honor the heritage of our first names - dressed up as Bavarian tourists in full lederhosen and we had a bucket of king crab legs served that I had flown in from Alaska this morning. The cook was quite amenable to the idea after I gave him an early copy of Grand Theft Auto 5.

Anyway, next week we announce Take-Two's full-year financial results and between Borderlands 2, XCOM, our sports games and GTA at the end of this year, I'm thinking Karl and I can play German tourist more often.

Promise to write to you more,
Streusel

Take-Two appoints COO Karl Slatoff as president originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 08 May 2013 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take-Two's Zelnick regrets THQ quote

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:15:00 EST

Friday 6 April

175 lbs (That's 170 of muscle and five pounds of delicious Legal Seafood New England Clam Chowder.)

Food consumed today: Chowdah! Chowdah! Chowdah!

Early morning. Boston. I watched the sun rise this morning, contemplating regret and its place in business ... and the universe.

Oh, Diary,

I made a faux pas yesterday, which I understand is also known as a gaffe to those whose offices reside below the 20th floor of any office building. I was asked about the difference between that wandering camp of nomads at THQ and the Empire of Take-Two (and its kingdoms of Rockstar and 2K Games), and gave what I think was a very measured response. I may have overstepped when I said, "THQ won't be around in six months."

Oh boy, did I stir up the hornet's next. THQ understandably wasn't too happy and reflexively responded that my "perception of THQ is outdated and inaccurate." Blurgh, Diary, I have to see THQ CEO Brian 'Feral' at the corporate mixers, so I had to play nice and offer up a cheese plate of mea culpa.

"While discussing our strategy I spoke out of turn about someone else's. It was inappropriate and I regret it," I told Game Informer.

But, Diary. Come on ... between you and me. We both know the truth.

XOXO,
Nostradamuss

Take-Two's Zelnick regrets THQ quote originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take-Two's Zelnick thinks Zynga metrics are 'sketchy'

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:30:00 EST

Wednesday 30 November

185 lbs of Ba-Zynga bashing awesomeness.

Food consumed today: Nothing. I'm being fueled by music. Specifically, one song: "Eye of the Tiger." It's on repeat and nothing is gonna get in my way.

Afternoon. It's brisk in NYC and I'm bringing the heat to Zynga. If that bubble won't pop on its own, I might as well start passing around a bottle of wake-up juice!

Continue reading Take-Two's Zelnick thinks Zynga metrics are 'sketchy'

Take-Two's Zelnick thinks Zynga metrics are 'sketchy' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zelnick planning on more Duke Nukem, figuring out tablet gaming

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 11:00:00 EST

Tuesday 21 June

I've had all scales removed from Take-Two HQ since becoming CEO. I have too much work to do and I can't be checking my buffness at every water fountain and copy machine (all of which had scale attachments). I do still check it after workouts and after a good cry, when I consume a pint of Chunky Monkey while reading Duke Nukem Forever reviews.

Food consumed today: Don't know, trying to stay relaxed and groovy as CEO. Get in touch with my inner artist. Do I eat? Did I eat? Am I eating now? I don't know and I'm trying not to care.

Morning. The light glistened off the Chrysler Building in such a magnificent way I grabbed a street artist to paint me a picture of it. New York.

Continue reading Zelnick planning on more Duke Nukem, figuring out tablet gaming

Zelnick planning on more Duke Nukem, figuring out tablet gaming originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take-Two CEO Feder quitting to travel Asia, Zelnick to become CEO

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 10:30:00 EST

Friday 29 October

New British trainer at the gym tells me I'm 13 stone. That's better than 70-something kilos, but apparently I've put on weight. It's all my soon-to-be ex-CEO Ben Feder's fault.

Food consumed today: Nothing, yet. But I'm sure the Federator is going to drag me out to McDonalds for lunch again (I do admit I love me a pair of McChicken sandwiches). The movie Super Size Me has nothing on him at the moment, he's taking in everything American he can before jetting -- you should see the pile of Jack in the Box Oreo milkshakes by his desk.

Morning. Brisk autumn day in New York.

Woe is me, Diary,

Going to hold back the tears as I write this. My home slice, Ben Feder, is giving up his position as Chief Executive Officer of Take-Two to "travel Asia with his family for an extended period." I shoulda figured something was up, since every time we went out to a Chinese restaurant he would ask, "Do you think Chinese food is the same in China?"

There is one benefit to the Federator leaving ... I'm gonna be CE-mutha-O! Tee-hee, Diary. Not gonna lie, it feels good to imagine myself as Capt. Picard: "Engage" all projects! Being Take-Two's Executive Chairman is great and all, but C-E-O!

Anyway, one of my executive vee-pees, Karl Slatoff, will take on the "newly created role" of Chief Operating Officer. Oh Di, how silly is this "newly created role" business? Truth is, it hurt a little refilling the spot after my former COO Gary "Gar Bear" Dale left last year -- I left the door open for him and always set out an extra plate at dinner, just hoping he'd come back.

Yeah, so, the official transition of all this will take place on New Year's Day 2011. Looking forward to having Feder show me the ropes of his job, but I don't think my body can handle doing it over lunch meetings at Mickey D's, Burger King and Wendy's every afternoon anymore.

xoxo,
ZelNicky

Take-Two CEO Feder quitting to travel Asia, Zelnick to become CEO originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Not all Italian Americans are descended from Mafia 2

James Ransom-Wiley — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Wednesday 18 August

Weight: Ugh. I don't even want to know what I weigh after inhaling that slice.

Food consumed today: Do I really have to spell it out again? P. I. Z. Z. A. And I know for sure the guys running that joint aren't in the mafia or whatever. I don't even think they're Italian.

Evening. Cloudy. A good night for the gym.

Oh Diary, what to do about these UNICO National people? They've gone and denounced Mafia 2 as a "pile of racist nonsense" -- which is great to get some added publicity a week before launch. Lord knows this game has been in development for-ever.

But still, to suggest the game will "indoctrinate a new generation into directly associating Italians and Italian Americans with violent, murderous organized crime" -- really? Mafia 2 is clearly a period piece. I mean, look at the cars in that game. Oh, and those clothes! What a riot!

Frankly, and I don't think I'm alone here, when I think Italian American -- sure, I used to think The Godfather, and then it was The Sopranos -- but now it's GTL, you know? Those are good values. I mean, look just how far a strong body can take you. And who wants to walk around looking all pale? Which reminds me! I need to go schedule my dry cleaning to be delivered in the morning. TTYL!

-Zelny

Continue reading PSA: Not all Italian Americans are descended from Mafia 2

PSA: Not all Italian Americans are descended from Mafia 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carl Icahn now a 13.7% shareholder in Take-Two

Alexander Sliwinski — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:00:00 EST

Monday 22 March

70-something kilos. My kilo talk has gotten others thinking I'm moving the company to Canada, but I <3 my NYC.

Food consumed today:
No low-fat blueberry muffins today on the cart. I only like the tops anyway. Heard some pleb in the office talking about Blueberry Muffin Tops as a cereal. Tried some. I'm not opposed.

Afternoon. The beautiful weekend has shifted to gloomy overcast to fit my mood. New York.

Cherished Diary,

What is the iCahn up to? Carl Icahn previously put three of his specially selected associates on the Take-Two board (including iCahn-mini, Brett Icahn) after he obtained 11.3 percent in company stock. Now he's bought another 710,840 shares, which I estimate to cost about $7.1 million, giving him 13.7 percent of Take-Two stock.

The confusing part, Diary, is why? He has over 10 percent already and three iPods on the board, the incremental increase in stock isn't anything big -- it's just, weird, you know? Of course, you know! Diary, that's why I can always trust you! I just wish I knew if he was gearing up to push for a buyout or trying to show more faith in the company now that he has boys on the board. I wish I knew. I really, really wish I knew.

xoxo,
Strudel

[Via IndustryGamers]

Carl Icahn now a 13.7% shareholder in Take-Two originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take-Two to nominate three new board directors; it's all about the iCahn

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:15:00 EST

Thursday 21 January

70-something kilos. I've given up on weighing in lbs, kilos are so much kinder.

Food consumed today:
Anything that makes me look suave and like I know what I'm doing. Think I'm on my fifth martini, but I lost count after the fourth.

Early morning, sun looks lovely coming out of the west ... north? ... really need to cut back on the martinis. New York.

Dearest Diary, can I call you Di? Good. Oh, Di, why does Carl Icahn have to be such a meddler? You know what, I'm gonna start calling him iCahn, like an obnoxious Apple product. Hehe, iCahn. So, this guy ... this iCahn, he comes in and buys up 11.3 percent of the company a couple months ago and now he wants to put three of his own iBoys on the board of directors -- actually, I'm pretty sure one of them is an iCahn-mini: Brett Icahn.

I ain't mad, Di. Let iCahn have his iPods on the board, I've been doing my thing since taking over Take-Two in 2007. He's got the right to put some guys on the board and shape things, bring balance -- distract some monkeys on my back. Who knows, maybe the iCahn boys will bring healthy skepticism and deliver productive ideas to improve profitability. Plus, what's the harm? If the winds take iCahn to another project and he holds less than five percent of the company stock, the iPods agree to leave immediately. Just another day in the biz. I kinda miss fighting with EA, this is so mundane in comparison.

[Thanks to Michael Pachter and Jesse Divnich for context]

Take-Two to nominate three new board directors; it's all about the iCahn originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ousted Take-Two CEO Eibeler joins SouthPeak board

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:29:00 EST

Tuesday 4 August

170-something lbs. of face-palming rage.

Food consumed today:
A lot of really audible snacks and stuff that makes me sound bone-crunchy and vicious, like a Central Park West poodle.

Just past midnight. New York: my penthouse. Do people never learn? Found out today that SouthPeak Interactive has hired Paul Eibeler to be on its board of directors. This is the same guy I had ousted from Take-Two back in '07 -- not to mention, Diary, I'm still bitter about that golden parachute we gave him.

What really wrinkles my suit, though, is this statement by SouthPeak chair Terry Phillips: "As one of the most respected executives in the interactive games industry, we welcome Paul to the board of directors." LOL to the ROFLCOPTER! I laugh in their general direction, Diary. Eibeler was named "Worst CEO" by MarketWatch in 2005 for his handling of Take-Two and the way he dealt with the "Hot Coffee" scandal. I mean, I've taken my licks, but Eibeler getting hired? It's like nobody Googles anymore.

Ousted Take-Two CEO Eibeler joins SouthPeak board originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Zelnick's Take-Two leadership blasted by investor blog

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:30:00 EST

Wednesday 22 July

170-something lbs. I'm really sad, been putting on some weight and missing workouts.

Food consumed today:
Went total heifer and ate a tub of Cherry Garcia AND Vanilla Heath Bar Crunch. Too upset for anything else.

Late morning. New York: my Take-Two office. Boo! Boo, I say. Meanie McMean-Means at Market Rap, an investors blog site, said not-nice things about me. I was fine with it until the games press -- which I read every day -- started picking up on it. I totally missed my 7AM, 9:10AM and 11:27AM crunch sets because I was so depressed.

Anyway, this Perry H. Rod author guy says that I'm a liar and seems most upset about the stock drop after I brutally rebuffed EA's advances on MY company. He concludes, "If you're keeping score, in a two year period, Mr Zelnick managed to, on three occasions, make vital statements that were within a matter of weeks proven to be either fabricated or just incredibly incompetent (or worse)." Ouch, diary. This dude makes it sound like I'm as bald-faced a liar as Nintendo. It's not fair. I'll turn the company around once the economy picks up. I promise.

[Via GamePolitics]

Zelnick's Take-Two leadership blasted by investor blog originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Strauss Zelnick discusses Q4 release assault, ponders 'chicken and egg' of it

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:00:00 EST

Thursday 18 June

160-something lbs. Still need to work off that extra E3 weight. LACC food is sooo delish!

Food consumed today:
Nutri-Grain bar. Steak with hollandaise. One of those plasmid drinks we're thinking of tying into BioShock 2.

Late afternoon. New York: my Take-Two office. Just read the VentureBeat interview published yesterday about me. Really hate that picture they used, I'm totally not working my chiseled features. Anyway, they asked me about delaying Red Dead Redemption and Mafia 2. I mean, come on, the holiday season is already packed. People will have even less cash this year. Maybe we'll get lucky and pull a GTA IV release with one of those titles? Haha, Diary. I know, we're not gonna get that lucky.

Anyway, they also asked me about that EEDAR report, which says games sell better in the fourth quarter. That's good and all, but couldn't it be argued that it's a "chicken and egg problem"? Like, people buy during the holiday because that's when games come out? We'll try something a little different. Oh well, that's enough philosophy for one day. Good night, Diary.

Strauss Zelnick discusses Q4 release assault, ponders 'chicken and egg' of it originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take-Two COO Gary Dale quits

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:39:00 EST

Filed under: Business

Friday 16 January

150-something lbs. Feeling like I could be on the cover of a magazine.

Food consumed today:
2 Apples. May have snuck something else in, but I'm too busy to recall.

Early in the day. New York: my office. Ugh. Gary Dale, my chief operating officer at Take-Two. You know, my "Gar Bear." Well, he told me he's leaving the company. His day-to-day duties are just done. I think I'm pretty bummed about this, but I'm feeling too good after my workout this morning to get hung up on it.

Anyway, Gary became my COO last year after holding the same position over with those cash cows at Rockstar. We haven't talked publicly about why he's leaving ... sorry, Diary, I can't even tell you. Gar Bear will be officially done with the company on April 15. He's got this thing where it takes him a really long time to say goodbye.

Take-Two COO Gary Dale quits originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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