Dear Readers,

As GameDaily unveils a new Biz site and email newsletter, it is now time for me after 10 years at the helm to say thank you and goodbye and prepare for my next adventure.

In 1997, I launched the Gigex download service which created the model for coordinated Internet distribution of game content. We delivered millions of free game demos and trailers, syndicated the Gigex Top50 to Yahoo, MSN and 50 other sites. Game publishers used our service to get wide distribution for their game demos and trailers and gather valuable customer information and they clamored to be the Gigex Download of the Day. Others copied our model, but Gigex stood alone in offering customers free hosted downloads. In 1999, another company launched GameDaily and created the product category of online video game business news. In 2002, Gigex acquired the GameDaily newsletter and we grew it from a simple list of press releases to become the game industry leader in business news by executing on our mission of delivering accurate, credible, original and entertaining content to the busy entertainment trade community in a streamlined format. In 2004, we rebranded all of Gigex to GameDaily with both our consumer and business content. We joined AOL in August 2006.

I have had the pleasure and honor of being the steward of the GameDaily brand for the past 5 years. I've met so many of you at events over the years and I've learned a lot from you. With the relaunch and integration into the AOL family now complete, I feel the time is right. It's been 10 years of excitement, challenges, highs, lows, the dotcom crash and through it all we have grown a unique brand of which I'm very proud. Many people have said to me that GameDaily is "the first thing I read each day" and "I'm up to speed on what's going on in the game industry in 30 seconds." We have worked hard to stay loyal to our brand promise while making it better.

I hope you will enjoy GameDaily and support our dedicated team. I want to give a big public thank you to our lead editor of Biz, James Brightman, who has grown to lead the GameDaily BIZ team since joining us over three years ago. David Radd has done a great job over the past two years as well, and he was recently joined on the news beat by veteran gaming newsman Micheal Mullen. John Benyamine has kept the product evolving and Libe Goad is now GameDaily's editor in chief.

As for me, I'm going to take a little time off to catch my breath and play with my 5- and 7-year-old boys before they get too big and I'm no longer the "cool daddy." I'm doing a few projects and you'll all be the first to know about what's next when I decide what to do when I grow up. Don't worry, it'll be announced in Industry Movers. In the meantime please keep in touch via LinkedIn, Facebook or feel free to drop me a line on markfriedler@gmail.com

Thank You and Regards,
Mark Friedler, Publisher GameDaily