Take-Two CEO steps down

By Geoff Duncan October 29, 2010

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Strauss Zelnick is taking the reins of Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, and BioShock game studio Take-Two Interactive as CEO Ben Feder steps down to travel with his family in Asia for “an extended period.”

“As a result of the team’s efforts, [Take-Two] today is in the strongest financial and operational condition in its history,” Feder said, in a statement. “Now that the company is in a position of strength and is poised for solid performance in the future, the time is right for me to honor certain commitments that I have made to my family.”

Strauss Zelnick is currently chairman of Take-Two’s board, and will take over the CEO position effective January 1, 2011. Feder will remain a partner in ZelnickMedia, the private equity firm run by Strauss Zelnick that controls Take-Two.

Feder become Take-Two’s CEO in 2007 as the company was struggling to recover from controversy surrounding the “Hot Coffee” patch to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that revealed sexually explicit content developer Rockstar had embedded in the game and not disclosed to reviewers. The financial damage from the game’s recall totaled nearly $25 million, and the company reached a settlement with the FTC and managed to avoid being fined. Zelnick and Feder also guided the company through a protracted hostile takeover attempt from gaming giant Electronic Arts in 2008 just as Grand Theft Auto IV was due to land at retailers.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Gaming

Amid huge profits, Rockstar Games makes game testers full-time employees

take two sues gta online modder for 150000

It's safe to say that the executives in charge of Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two are happy with the company's performance as of late. Grand Theft Auto Online continues to generate enormous revenue and Red Dead Redemption II recently crossed 25 million sales, but those who actually make the games now have a reason to celebrate, as well -- the quality assurance (QA) department is being converted from freelance contractors to full-time staff.

According to a report from Kotaku, the game testers at the Rockstar Lincoln studio were turned into full-time employees on August 1. Other policies, including one that prevented testers from having cell phones at their desk, have been eliminated,as well, and workers will have more choice in which hours they work during the day.

Gaming

All Trinkets in Tales of Kenzera: Zau, explained

The main character of Tales of Kenzera: Zau stands with two elemental items.

Your main upgrades in a metroidvania like Tales of Kenzera: Zau will always be your new abilities. These transform the way you move and fight, but there are other ways you can make Zau a more powerful shaman. Trinkets are introduced right away, but aren't given away as freely as you might think. Each one requires you to overcome a small trial that tests your platforming abilities off the main path. Technically, you can miss every single one aside from the one you begin the game with. Even though there are a few fast travel points, backtracking isn't a particularly fun experience. Here are all the Trinket locations in Tales of Kenzera: Zau, plus which ones you should equip.
All Trinket locations
You can see which zones have Trinkets on the map, and for the most part, you will be able to grab them as you navigate through them for the first time. Here are each of the Trinket locations roughly in the order you should naturally be able to get them.
Battering Stance
This is the Trinket you begin the game with and is equipped by default.
Lifted Spirit

The first Trinket is found in this side path trial in The Buluu Caverns.
Retaliating Spirit

Gaming

How to start The Forgotten Kingdom DLC in Remnant 2

Invoker

Remnant 2 is a massive game that already boasts nearly endless replayability, but that isn't stopping developer Gunfire Games from adding even more to do in the popular looter shooter. The game's new DLC, The Forgotten Kingdom, provides players with a substantial amount of extra stuff to check out, such as new biomes to explore, an additional archetype known as The Invoker, and plenty of fresh enemies to take down. If you're ready to see all of what The Forgotten Kingdom DLC has to offer, read on to learn how to access it from within the game.
How to start The Forgotten Kingdom DLC
The first step in accessing The Forgotten Kingdom DLC is to ensure you've purchased and downloaded it. You can buy the standalone version from your respective storefront for $10, or you can opt to snag the $25 bundle, which includes The Awakened King, The Forgotten Kingdom, and another future DLC that has yet to be announced. If you intend to play the full trilogy of DLCs, the former is your best option, as you'll save five bucks off the total cost of all three.

Once you've purchased and downloaded the DLC, you'll be ready to access The Forgotten Kingdom by visiting a World Stone and opening Adventure Mode. You'll need to have completed the Yaesha biome at least one time. At that point, you can select "Reroll Adventure Mode" and choose The Forgotten Kingdom: One Shot on the right, which will notably give you exclusive DLC content your first time through. Keep in mind that while this initial run won't feature any older content, your subsequent playthroughs of Yaesha will weave DLC areas in with main campaign content.