Giant game publisher 2K appoints company insitution David Ismailer as its new president

Someone who’s been with 2K from the start is now stepping up to its top leadership role.

Take-Two Interactive Software announced today that David Ismailer has become the new president of 2K, a wholly owned label of Take-Two known for publishing sports games like NBA 2K, NHL 2K, and WWE 2K as well as the strategy series Civilization and the multiplayer shooter franchise Borderlands. NBA 2K17 was the fourth best-selling game of 2016 according to The NPD Group, and 2K is one of the biggest publishers in the game industry.

Ismailer started at Take-Two in 2002 as vice president and senior counsel. He joined 2K in 2005, the year it formed, as chief operating officer and senior vice president of publishing operations. Ismailer oversaw day-to-day operations at the company as it worked on hits like the 2K sports games, the BioShock series, and the Xcom franchise. He takes over the president position from Christoph Hartmann, who left the company earlier this month.

“Having been at 2K since day one, I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside some of the most talented and committed professionals in our industry,” said David Ismailer, president of 2K, in a press release sent to GamesBeat. “I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together. My goal is to enable and empower our teams further, and to provide them with the opportunity to build upon our rich history of creating innovative and engaging entertainment experiences for audiences around the world.”

2K creates annual releases for its sports games. The publisher is also making a big bid for the esports market. 2K has partnered with 16 NBA teams  — including the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors — that are backing a city-based league for the publisher’s NBA 2K series.