Phil Harrison
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Atari president confident about physical media's decline
While high ranking executives from high ranking companies have bickered back and forth about the longevity of Blu-ray as a format, Atari president Phil Harrison has some pretty strong feelings on physical media as a whole. In an interview with Edge, the bigwig stated that "there's a generation of kids being born today and probably already alive who I'm pretty confident will never buy a physical media product; they will never buy a DVD, they will never buy a CD, and they will never buy a game in a box." While some may jump on this as being patently absurd, we're not so sure it's a crazy as it at first sounds. Video games in particular have been distributed via the 'net for some time now (Steam, anyone?), and it's no secret that programming and movies are headed in that direction. There's no way to accurately predict how many more generations will be buying wares in boxes, but it's safe to say we're a lot closer than most people expected us to be just a decade ago.[Via G4TV]
Harrison: Atari to focus on downloadable PSP titles
Monsieur Phil Harrison, AKA directeur général délégué des Infogrames, had some words of praise for the PSP at Atari's global showcase last week in London as he called it a "vibrant platform." However, the praise falls short of software support as Phil said the company currently wasn't going to make any new game announcements for the system. Harrison noted, while not having anything specific to speak of, that Atari does have interest in going the route of e-distribution titles. Said Harrison: "There is no doubt that PSP is a very vibrant platform from a hardware perspective and I think Sony has recently made some good moves into opening up online distribution for software on PSP, so I'm looking to explore that." A downloadable version of N+ would be a great start, Phil!
Phil Harrison still <3 Home
Looks like Phil Harrison hasn't forgotten his roots after leaving Sony earlier this year. Speaking to Eurogamer at an event earlier this week, the President of Infogrames said that Home will be "a very successful platform" and that Sony will have "brilliantly realized their ambitions."Harrison has also been checking out his former employer's competition. The ex-Sony exec had this to say about the Xbox 360's newly launched system software, the New Xbox Experience: "I was quite impressed .. they're just scratching the surface of what the whole industry recognizes ... that customization, socialization and community platforms are going to be just as important as the games themselves."Darn it, Harrison -- so which side are you on? Kidding, just kidding.
Homesick: Phil praises PS Home
Though PlayStation Home seems forever out of reach, this hasn't stopped Atari's Phil Harrison, one of the original architects of Sony's much-anticipated virtual landscape, from singing its praises. The former Sony exec was one of Home's chief evangelists, and, according to Eurogamer, believes Sony has "brilliantly realised their ambitions."While also "quite impressed" with Microsoft's efforts around the social networking buzzword, Harrison noted that he feels his former employer "will have a very successful platform." We just hope that when he gives Home a congratulatory slap on the back, he does so with enough gusto to actually push it out the door.
Harrison confident young'ns 'will never buy a physical media product'
In his position at Atari, Phil Harrison – former Sony figurehead and outspoken Blu-ray backer – is using his intimidating height to see clear past the competition and straight into the future. What does Phil see? First: We can only imagine he sees an Atari more deserving that "best opportunity" in the industry praise from earlier this year. Second: Phil sees "a generation of kids being born today and probably already alive" that "will never buy a DVD, they will never buy a CD, and they will never buy a game in a box."We know Atari's gambit is in online gaming, and we're sure Phil's dead-on in his assessment (we're surprised it's taken this long!) but now we'd just like to see how Atari is going to contribute to this new, disc-less media landscape. It's done with "huge-budget, single-player games," remember?
Phil Harrison sees downloads as the future of gaming
We've no idea what the future holds for Nintendo. Their next console could be HD, might have a better storage solution than 512mbs of memory and possibly will bring peace and love to all mankind. Of course, this is only speculation on our part and now Atari's Phil Harrison is joining in on the action.He sees a future of downloads. One where walking into a store and buying a disc copy of a game is an impossibility. Not due to the fact that discs no longer exist, but because the young ones of today won't want their games in that way. Phil thinks "there's a generation of kids being born today and probably already alive who I'm pretty confident will never buy a physical media product." Phil went on to elaborate that he thinks they'll "never buy a DVD, they will never buy a CD, and they will never buy a game in a box."We're not entirely sure that such a future is so close to becoming a reality, personally. For one, there comes a certain satisfaction from actually holding something in your hands that downloads could never achieve. Second, that would mean the next generation of consoles would be affected by this and we're not willing to drink the Kool-Aid and say that all three major console manufacturers, as well as the plethora of third-parties involved, would be committed to offering all titles as downloads. Third, have you ever smelled the inside of a freshly opened game? It's like new car smell, but way better.
Atari reveals plans to revisit Baldur's Gate, others
Infogrames President Phil Harrison announced today at a publisher event that the company plans to revisit Baldur's Gate, Dungeons & Dragons, Neverwinter Nights and Test Drive Unlimited -- but not until after 2009 (via Eurogamer). Three of those franchises have had recent releases (NWN2: Storm of the Zehir last month, TDU and D&D Tactics in February 2007). As for Baldur's Gate, a follow-up to BG2: Throne of Bhaal has been rumored since 2001 from now-defunct Black Isle Studios. It was reportedly mentioned again by a PC Gamer UK editor as recently as January 2008.
LittleBigPlanet delay the 'right thing to do,' says Phil Harrison
While the thought of waiting even longer to play LittleBigPlanet is one that causes all our muscles to contract into a tingling ball of anxiety and impatience, ex-Sony Worldwide Studios head Phil Harrison believes the Qur'an-related recall was ultimately for the best. "And on reflection I think it was absolutely the right thing to do, because LittleBigPlanet set out from day one to be a game for the entire world," he told Gamesindustry.biz, "and if there was anything that accidentally detracted from that vision and made the game not fun for the entire world, then the game would have fundamentally failed in its mission."Of course, altogether avoiding religious tussles tends to save money and face as well. Harrison, who's currently orchestrating Atari's reinvention, believes that the move will ultimately leave the game's long-term sales unscathed, adding that people are sure to "blown away" by it. Gee, thanks for making the wait even worse, Phil.
Phil Harrison backs Sony's LBP delay decision
Everyone's got an opinion on this LittleBigPlanet delay. Even the current Infogrames directeur général délégué and former president of Sony Worldwide Studios, Phil Harrison, shared his thoughts. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz before his Unite 08 event keynote in Copenhagen, Harrison said that Sony's decision wasn't going to be taken lightly but was something that took LBP's vision mission to heart: " ... I think it was absolutely the right thing to do, because LittleBigPlanet set out from day one to be a game for the entire world -- and if there was anything that accidentally detracted from that vision and made the game not fun for the entire world, then the game would have fundamentally failed in its mission." While good old Phil thinks Sony made the right move, he doesn't discount the negative reaction that surely followed. He does, however, believe -- now as a neutral outsider -- that from what he's seen of LBP (he's played only the beta) he's convinced the game will be a success in the long run and this delay won't change things "one iota." Said Harrison, "[The delay] only seems to have heightened the anticipation, so I think it'll end up being a win, and full credit to Media Molecule for turning around a fix as quickly as they did."
Atari outlines more of its extreme makeover
Atari's reinvention continues as CEO David Gardner and President Phil Harrison delve into the company's strategy to fully embrace an online business model. Speaking to Develop, the pair expresses the company's necessary geographic expansion outside of France (home of Atari parent, Infogrames), which we're starting to see in the establishment of a UK studio and the hiring of SingStar guru Paulina Bozek.Atari also plans to produce a variety of games for PSN, iTunes, Facebook, Xbox Live Arcade, and to stay, as Harrison puts it, "broadly online distribution agnostic." Gardner quips that he has no programming skills and Harrison says he's not a good graphic artist, so they expect to hire more top talent who believe the future of the industry lies online.
Another Sony star jumps to Atari: SingStar's Paulina Bozek
Looks like the French games company is targeting proven Sony stars. Their high-profile acquisition of former Worldwide Studios giant Phil Harrison took the industry by surprise. Many of us were shocked to see such a successful reign at Sony Computer Entertainment move to a company with a track record like Atari.The exodus may be far from over, though. Today, it's been revealed that the gorgeous Paulina Bozek, creative director of Sony's popular SingStar franchise, is also finding a new home at Atari. She will head a new studio, based in Hammersmith, London, that will focus on developing other mass-market games for "online-enabled devices," including PCs and consoles. "I am very excited to be joining Atari at this pivotal time for both the company and the industry," said Bozek.Phil Harrison, Bozek's former boss at Sony, added: "This is a significant step in expanding Atari's online game development capability. Paulina is one of the industry's most respected creative leaders with an outstanding track-record of commercial and creative success and I'm delighted that she will bring her unique vision, consumer insight and proven ability for creating amazing entertainment experiences to Atari."
Patent reveals touchscreen handheld device from Phil Harrison
Panajev2001a from the NeoGAF forums has discovered a series of patents that point to a new handheld device from Sony. The patents, filed in January, refer to a "hand-held device with touchscreen and digital tactile pixels." The patent is assigned to Sony Computer Entertainment America, and the inventor is credited to be Phil Harrison, former head of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios.This patent could describe the next PSP (or PSP Phone). However, it could take years for anything to surface after a patent filing. Some patents (like this one) haven't seen the light of day. With a touch screen and motion sensing capabilities, whatever this new device is will be able to match the functionality of devices like the iPhone. Intriguing. Can't wait to find out more.[Thanks, Noshino!]
LittleBigPlanet team talks about Phil Harrison's 'influence'
Phil Harrison will be missed. His groundbreaking "Game 3.0" keynote at GDC showed Sony's exciting and innovative ways forward in the online community. After accusing Sony Japan of not being forward-thinking regarding the online sector, he left Sony and joined Atari.Harrison's message wasn't simply the creation of marketing folk, however. He genuinely believed in online communities, and without his support, LittleBigPlanet wouldn't be the game it is today. According to Alex Evans, one of the co-founders of Media Molecule, "[Phil's] influence on the game early on ... was hugely useful to have." The development team was focused on the gameplay, but it was Harrison that talked about the online potential LittleBigPlanet had. "He was very instrumental in telling us to think about what it would mean to have user-generated content - to think about what that means for the community."
MMOs may not inherit the Earth after all
A lot of attention has been paid in recent months to the notion, espoused openly by Phil Harrison and quietly acquiesced to in much of the rest of the MMO industry, that single player games as we know them are going the way of the dodo. With technology connecting people to each other in greater numbers than ever before, many people see the logical end of this being the complete co-option of the traditional single player experience that has prevailed in games for so long.In a recent interview with Ben Mattes, producer for the new Prince of Persia game over at Ubisoft, Mattes rejects this notion, insisting there are experiences in a single player game that you can't reliably replicate in a multiplayer context. Players still crave these distilled bouts of fun, and will continue to flock to them in the future as long as companies keep making them. Obviously, being the producer on a big budget single player title doesn't make Mattes the most unbiased source in the world, but we have to agree with him. While the greater trend is towards connectivity and multiplayer, there's always going to be a market for a well-told single player story.
Harrison elaborates on the future of single-player games
Infogrames president Phil Harrison made some eyebrow-raising comments last week, claiming that following Alone in the Dark, his company would move away from "huge-budget, single-player games." Speaking to videogaming247, Harrison went into more detail on what he described as not just a shift in direction for Infogrames, but for the entire industry as well.While suggesting once again that Infogrames will be moving away from single-player console titles, Harrison elaborates that those games will still have a place in the market, but will have to begin integrating connectivity and non-linearity to survive. We'll have to see if there's any truth in these sooth-saying words.
Harrison: Infogrames & Atari done with 'huge-budget, single-player games'
Stopping short of calling Alone in the Dark his troubled (transitioning?) company's "swan song," Infogrames president and Atari legal guardian Phil Harrison has again proposed that the company (meaning Infogrames the parent and Atari the wholly owned US subsidiary) is focused on carving out its place in the budding online gaming business with a stress on social communication. "I don't see that we're going to be making huge-budget, single-player games in the future," Harrison told Gamasutra, adding, "Now, that doesn't mean that we won't have ambition to do really incredible games ... but they won't be one-player, narrative-driven, start-middle-end games."Will we be hearing the same message if Alone in the Dark manages to answer CEO David Gardner's prayers (to the tune of 2-3 million units sold)? Sounds like it. Harrison has clearly set his sights on taking a "slightly aggressive, leading-edge role" in the online gaming movement where loneliness is the last motif he wants to cultivate and dark days are in the company's past. "We have plenty of titles in our pipeline, and we think [Alone in the Dark] will be an important part of our year, but it's by no means the only part of our year."
Phil Harrison talks Alone in the Dark, spotlight shines on game footage
The dialog may sound cheesy, but Alone in the Dark looks like it could be good enough (and given our hands-on, maybe even 3 million units good enough) to try when it releases in late June. In the video above, Atari/Infogrames Directeur Général Délégué Phil Harrison speaks to 1Up about being impressed after seeing AitD for the first time and enjoying the narrative structure of the title.The real highlight in the video is the impressive amount of gameplay footage shown, which gives us a much better idea of what the title will actually be like. We're not sure yet if Alone in the Dark will be "blow your mind" fantastic, but much like The Darkness last summer, it appears well suited in getting some attention from the consoles it'll launch on during a less-than-crowded release time. Don't fret PS3 owners, you should be way too busy with Solid Snake starting June 12 to care about little ol' Edward Carnby.%Gallery-14429%
Infogrames could change name to Atari
Infogrames CEO, David Gardner, tells GI.biz that the company may drop its name (which rocks our world) completely for the Atari marquee brand. He wants the company thought of as a "start-up" and the name change to represent the "final mark" of transformation. Directeur Général Délégué Phil Harrison chimes in that the company, as it stands now with a new management team less than a year old, is "absolutely a start-up" -- it's just a start-up with 25 years of history (and some serious financial drama).Harrison and Gardner had apparently been talking about doing their own company for a long time. Harrison explains that the two had made significant plans and then the Atari opportunity came along. It was a company that had global infrastructure, offices, branding and was exactly the type of company the two were looking for. It'll probably become much easier to think of Atari as a "new" company once it announces some new IPs and gets the "old" company's games out the door, like the oft-delayed Alone in the Dark.
Harrison: Atari is the best opportunity in the industry
Gametrailers has a video of Phil Harrison's Infogrames/Atari coming out party from earlier this week, depicting the former Sony exec really entrenching himself into the current fixer-upper situation. He quite confidently says to the press in attendance, "The Atari opportunity, is the best opportunity that exists in the industry today to redefine, refocus and re-energize an incredible brand."This week has seen numerous moments where Infogrames' new CEO David Gardner and Harrison, as the new Directeur Général Délégué, have said all the right things. Giving the appearance that Atari is a salvageable brand is great, but showing some profit is always a good first step.
Listen to Phil Harrison talk about his big move
So a few days ago you read about Phil Harrison's big decision about going to Infogrames. Today, you get to listen to Phil speak about that very decision in this video. It appears that the freshly appointed Directeur Général Délégué is getting comfortable at his new post as he introduces Eden Studios' Alone in the Dark. While we don't get to see much about the game, Phil seems excited about pushing it forward. Anyway, we really should stop our babbling and just let the man himself give you the low down.
