PlayStation Loses Its Head

Phil Harrison leaves Sony. But where's he going?

When Kaz Hirai assumed his position at the top of the game group at Sony he became the global face of the company, but when it comes to games, one man has been more visible than any other.

Phil Harrison has over the last three years been in charge of Sony Worldwide Studios, corralling teams around the world and guiding the development of Sony's biggest games. Bu no more.

On Monday, Sony made a surprise announcement confirming Harrison's resignation from Sony Computer Entertainment.

"As one of the founding members of SCE, Phil played a key role in the development and growth of the PlayStation business and our industry," Kaz Hirai said in a statement. "It is sad to see him departing from SCE, but I wish to express my gratitude for his many invaluable contributions and also wish Phil the very best of luck in his future endeavors."

Harrison had been at the forefront of PlayStation development at Sony. He joined the company in 1992 and spend the next 16 years helping to birth all four Sony platforms, culminating in the 2006 launch of the PlayStation 3 - a console he championed in the face of harsh criticism.

"The past 15 years at Sony Computer Entertainment has been the defining journey of my life so far," Harrison said in a statement. "I am grateful to all the PlayStation family for their incredible support, guidance and friendship. It has been a privilege to serve as part of the team and be inspired by them on a daily basis. I am so proud of everything PlayStation has achieved and will continue to support its future in every way I can."

Harrison's next stop in the games industry is still unclear, but reports published shortly after the statement from Sony suggested he could be considering a position with troubled publisher Atari.

A report at GamesIndustry.biz, citing unnamed industry sources, claims that Harrison will be pairing with former EA executive David Gardner at Atari.

At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco last week, Harrison spoke publicly of his frustration with dealing with Sony's masters in Japan, who were slow to catch on to the rise of casual games.

Atari, in turn, earlier this year declared that it was shifting its focus to casual games in a bid to return the company to financial health.

Sony and Atari were contacted for comments on this story but neither company responded.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo