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Atari loses Jeff Lapin as CEO, taps Jim Wilson to replace him
Atari is still shaking things up at the ol' corporate HQ, it seems. Current CEO, Jeff Lapin, has resigned from the position he took almost a year ago to this day. Lapin, who spent time at both Take-Two and THQ prior to his Atari gig, will be succeeded by Jim Wilson, Atari's now-former president and deputy CEO, Gamasutra reports. Lapin leaves the company on good terms, it seems, stating that he believes Wilson's "leadership and management skills" will help drive the company forward and that he wishes "Atari and its employees great success." Wilson's been at Atari a bit longer than Lapin, having first signed on to work with the company back in 2008. Since then, Atari has lost a lot of money (though it's trying its hardest to get back into the black) and re-focused its efforts into producing "fewer but more profitable games." Atari board chairman Frank Dangeard isn't sweating the future, though -- Wilson "has the board's full support as he continues to drive new goals of growth and success" for Atari, he says.
Atari fiscal Q3 results indicate revival for embattled publisher
Atari may not have published a ton of games in 2009, but that doesn't mean the company hasn't been picking up the bottom line. In a press release that reads like the exact opposite of those we saw from the company just a few years ago, CEO Jeff Lapin celebrates the €92.5 million ($126.25 million) in revenue earned in the nine months ending December 31, saying "the company has now strengthened its equity and is in a position to work on an expanded publishing plan." In so many words, Lapin's suggesting that Atari is financially bouncing back and maybe even gearing up to (dare we say it?) make more games. The company cites sales of Ghostbusters, Chronicles of Riddick, Backyard Football, and Champions Online for bolstering revenues in fiscal Q3 and looks forward to a better 2010. The recent release of Star Trek Online certainly doesn't seem to be hurting his confidence in that department. Lapin says that he's "very enthusiastic about the launch" of the "promising MMO game." But things aren't all gumdrops and money hats -- the Q3 revenues were still down by 1.9% year-over-year. We won't find out the full year's earnings until late May, but for now we'll comfort ourselves with the knowledge that the publisher's next title, Project Runway, is coming in a few short weeks. Finally! Source (PDF) - Atari announces 9-month revenues for FY 2009/2010; [via Big Download]
Atari CEO David Gardner steps down, Jeff Lapin steps up
Atari's ongoing corporate shuffle is still, well, going on. The company formerly known as Infogrames has just named a new CEO. Current COO Jeff Lapin is to replace David Gardner as CEO and has executive experience with Take-Two and THQ, as well. It's unknown whether the move is Gardner's decision or Atari's, but he will stay with the company as a "director." Lapin doesn't appear to be getting a raise with this new position, but don't weep for him too much: his current compensation package includes "an annual fixed gross compensation of €400,000 [or nearly $585,000] and an annual variable compensation, subject to the achievement of performance criteria, up to €200,000," as well as 900,000 stock options. "We will launch our second MMO game - Star Trek Online -- in February 2010," Lapin said in the announcement. "I am excited to take on these new responsibilities at this important time and look forward to developing Atari's strategy to bring the company back to profitability." [Via IndustryGamers]
