Phil Harrison
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Infogrames attracted Harrison with giant magnet
Okay, maybe not literally (although the imagery does make us giggle), but a "magnet for talent" is certainly the new image Infogrames hopes to project. Now that Phil Harrison has taken his seat as president of Infogrames, CEO David Gardner has been singing the praises of the company's new business model, which is centered around the online market, as well as recognizable talent, and attracting new faces.According to Gardner, the future of Atari and Infogrames rests in the field of online gaming, a risky new venture for the company that Gardner is optimistic Harrison will be able to assist in. In addition to the new online focus, Gardner hopes that the company can continue to attract talent, and aims for a healthy mix of both industry veterans, and fresh young faces hoping to innovate. They better hope that magnet's got a lot of pull left in it, as Atari's messy history is naturally repellent.
Phil Harrison is new president of Infogrames ... wow
The rumors of a "Phil eye for the Atari guy" are true. Former Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison has joined Atari's parent company Infogrames with the title of Directeur Général Délégué (President). Harrison will report directly to Infogrames CEO David Gardner, who plans to announce tomorrow how he's going to turn the beleaguered company around -- and we're guessing Harrison will have a huge role in doing that.Harrison's fancy French title (which we're sure to use every chance we can) isn't going to protect him from the hard road ahead. The plan is apparently for Harrison and Gardner to turn Atari into "a leading online game company." Despite Gardner's belief that Infogrames has a "strong financial foundation," its going to take a lot of "show us" over the next few years before Atari gets off the D-list. But damn, is getting Harrison on the team a good start.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Phil Harrison now officially with Infogrames, Atari
Well, well, well, the rumors turned out to be true. The former president of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, Phil Harrison, is now president of French company Infogrames. Harrison will be working alongside newly appointed CEO David Gardner and will be overseeing the studios and content development for the group -- including the Infogrames-owned Atari.As this comes as quite a surprise to many, Phil backs his decision by stating, "This is the perfect time to join Infogrames and help shape the future of Atari." Can the old Sony heavyweight do it? Can he help restore the sinking ship that is Atari? We always want to see success, so we're hoping for the best. Score one for France.
Rumor: Phil Harrison to join Atari
According to sources at GI.biz, the former head of Sony Worldwide Studios, Phil Harrison, will leave the company at the end of the week to join Atari. A puzzling acquisition, if true. Atari hasn't been known for its success in the industry, and many see it as a sinking ship. Of course, the same could've been said about the PlayStation brand just a year ago. Since then, under Harrison's leadership, the company has seen a dramatic turnaround in sales and image.Perhaps Harrison can work his magic on Atari as well? Stay tuned for the latest developments.
Rumor: Phil Harrison could head to Atari
Imagine if, as the RMS Carpathia was rescuing passengers from the Titanic, the captain started thinking to himself, "You know, this ship isn't so bad. A little spackle here, a little elbow grease here, I could make it work. I'm going to give it a go!" If you can understand that reasoning, you may just be able to explain to us a rumor that soon-to-depart Sony head Phil Harrison will be moving on ... to Atari.We can't see how this is an upgrade for Harrison (oodles of money it will take to get him there not withstanding), but it would definitely be a smart move for Atari to get a name like Harrison on board. We'll let you know if we hear something more official.
Phil Harrison leaves Sony Computer Entertainment, Kaz Hirai takes place
In a surprise announcement, Sony Computer Entertainment announced the resignation of Phil Harrison. Effective February 29th, the current President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS) will resign from Sony Computer Entertainment Group. In his place, Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO of SCEI, will immediately assume responsibilities as president of SCE WWS, in addition to his current duties. "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," said Kazuo Hirai. "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." "The past 15 years at Sony Computer Entertainment has been the defining journey of my life so far," said Phil Harrison. "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." Phil Harrison is responsible for a major refocusing of the PlayStation group, through his "Game 3.0" initiative, announced at last year's GDC. He recently lamented that Sony Japan was not outgoing enough about social gaming.[Via Joystiq]
Phil Harrison leaves Sony Computer Entertainment
In a surprise announcement, Sony Computer Entertainment announced the resignation of Phil Harrison. Effective February 29th, the current President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SCE WWS) will resign from Sony Computer Entertainment Group. In his place, Kazuo Hirai, President and Group CEO of SCEI, will immediately assume responsibilities as president of SCE WWS, in addition to his current duties. "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," said Kazuo Hirai. "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." "The past 15 years at Sony Computer Entertainment has been the defining journey of my life so far," said Phil Harrison. "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." Phil Harrison is responsible for a major refocusing of the PlayStation group, through his "Game 3.0" initiative, announced at last year's GDC. He recently lamented that Sony Japan was not outgoing enough about social gaming.[Via Joystiq]
Breaking: Phil Harrison resigns from Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison has announced his formal resignation from the company, due to go into effect on February 29. Sony officially broke word of his resignation this morning.Taking his place will be SCEI president and group CEO Kazuo Hirai, who will assume Harrison's duties on top of his own. It's unknown at the moment whether Sony will begin seeking out a replacement for Harrison, or whether Hirai's full-time responsibilities will engulf those of the former Worldwide Studios president.First joining Sony back in 1992, Phil Harrison helped launch the first Playstation console, and has since played a major role in SCE's business, including presenting Sony's landmark keynote at last year's GDC. In a public statement, Harrison states that he is incredibly grateful to his "Playstation family," and will continue to support the platform and company in the future.
Phil Harrison out at Sony
Not but a few days after some decided anti-Sony Japan commentary by a very frustrated Phil Harrison, the Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios President is out, with his role to be assumed by the monolithic Kaz Hirai. Phil recently expressed his frustration for SCE Japan's resistance to online and social gaming, which, as it turns out, is exactly where Sony needed to be like five years ago. From the sound of things, Phil's departure is a little unceremonious (and, dare we say, acrimonious?), but who's to say what really went down behind closed doors?Read - Phil pulled his hair out over Sony Japan's conservative natureRead - ... and now, mysteriously, Harrison is out
Phil Harrison blames Sony Japan for underestimating social gaming
At last year's GDC, Phil Harrison made a platform-saving keynote entitled "Game 3.0." The PS3 was under a serious amount of scrutiny, but surprise announcements of Home and LittleBigPlanet recaptured the hearts and imaginations of gamers worldwide. Harrison envisioned a world of collaborative, social gaming, and admits that Sony Japan had been very reluctant to pursue that vision.Speaking to GI.biz, Harrison lamented: "And our Japanese colleagues said that there is no such thing as social gaming in Japan – people do not play games on the same sofa together in each other's homes. It will never happen. And then out comes the Wii."Harrison, who hailed from SCEE before taking over the PlayStation group at large, noted that social gaming is something he tried to promote heavily in Europe. "It's a very interesting and frustrating thing for me to experience because I have been banging the drum about social gaming for a long time, with SingStar, EyeToy and Buzz." Perhaps if Sony Japan had been a bit more understanding, it would meet much greater success than it has faced so far with this current generation of games. Thankfully, things are turning around.
Harrison: Sony didn't force motion controls on Lair
Maybe trying to distance itself from the critically lambasted Lair, Phil Harrison told GameTrailers that it did not force tilt controls in Factor 5's controversial dragon game. "[Motion control] was definitely not mandated by us. We've always said all along that the use of the Sixaxis is something that should be decided by the developer in tune with their creative vision for the game, so it's not something we would mandate." In spite of this, it appears that many first-party Sony titles utilize tilt controls in some way. Thankfully, many developers have learned from the mistakes of Lair, and include options to turn off the tilt controls and replace them with analog movement (for example, Ratchet & Clank Future.) In addition, Harrison doesn't find fault with Heavenly Sword's length -- a deciding factor that has limited the game's score in many reviews (including our own). "You know what? Not that many people finish games, so I think we shouldn't criticize a game for being a story, which has an arc with a beginning, a middle and an end... and actually encouraging all gamers to see all of the story, I think that's something positive." Granted, the experience looks and feels big-budget. But at the end of the day, most gamers probably want a longer journey for the increased price of admission. [Thanks, njkid1! Via GameDaily]
Phil Harrison not that concerned about Wii
Phil Harrison sat down for an interview with GameSpot prior to the Kaz Hirai keynote and, in addition to dodging some questions we've got answers to, he talked about all the media comparisons of the Nintendo Wii against the PlayStation 3. It's not flamebait, really, just his thoughts on the whole ordeal of overcoming bad press from an awkward angle. When asked if Phil was concerned over the "Wii outsells competition 3:1 or 5:1" comments, he said, "I'm not worried about it, no. Obviously I would like it to be the other way round, but it's not really fair to compare two products that serve different markets and are at different price points." He agreed that it was unfair to compare the two systems, but refused to mar the statement with an unreasonable analogy. Phil talked about Sony's plan to innovate and widen the market as the Wii had done, also. He cited the new EyeToy, SingStar, and Buzz! as examples of more light-hearted games moving onto the PS3. He doesn't think focusing just on the hardcore market is a good idea. Looking at the trends, "your initial audience is very different to the audience you have buying into the console seven, eight, or nine years later. So, we try to make software which is slightly ahead of that trend, software that enables younger users or new users to come in." We are glad that Sony is in the process of moving some of the less-hardcore titles from the PS2 onto the PS3. While the price may keep the less-hardcore at bay for a while longer, it is true that a few years from now, different types of consumers will be adopting the machine. It's just how the world works. About not making an analogy, though, we'll leave that up to you guys. You can be unreasonable if you like, just don't be too profane. Like, "it's sort of like comparing selling more Micro Machines than actual Porches" or something. It's all in good fun, Wii fanboys, so you can make your own counter-analogy also.
Stick-figures get their hero in Echochrome
Enter Echochrome, one of the most interesting and engaging new titles popping up at this year's E3. "Least graphics, most game play is their angle," said Sony's Phil Harrison, as he introduced Echochrome in the midst of Sony's E3 keynote. In addition to our earlier description as, "Jenga blocks, plus stick figure man plus acid," game play seemingly bears a distant resemblance to games like Crush (PSP) and the upcoming PC release Portal. Echochrome looks like it will have players assembling the game world to steer the stick-figure hero to his end goal. An orchestral score keeps an ambient atmosphere, which should help for those ultra-tricky sections that will be sure to induce cold sweats. Ah, the intense pleasures of a great puzzler. Echochrome certainly looks promising and the fact it will arrive on both UMD for the PSP and the PlayStation Store as one of the "more than 80 first-party games available" makes it all the more desirable.
Sony's Phil Harrison: Don't judge console by launch titles
Though pointing out the success of PlayStation 3 launch titles such as Resistance and Motorstorm, Sony executive Phil Harrison told Game Informer magazine (via GI.biz) that "it's always dangerous to judge any system by its launch lineup," while adding, "you only have to go back to the games that launched PlayStation 1 and Playstation 2."Excellent observation! Indeed, if we remember when 1UP compared launch lineup review scores, there is a curious (albeit not stringent) trend: the two consoles on the list with the worst-reviewed launch lineups belong to consoles (Wii and PlayStation One) who have shown great success, whereas the opposite has also proven true (GameCube and Dreamcast had well-received launch titles).Given the trend, then, we say Sony should embrace the notion of a lackluster PS3 launch. They've got a good statistical probability of pulling out this generation (especially if calls for a price drop don't go unheeded).
PlayStation 3's Home beta rolling out in North America
Several members of the official PlayStation forums are claiming that the option to download and launch the North American version of the Home beta has appeared in the PlayStation Store. Invites to the closed beta of Sony's Game 3.0 get-together were sent out last week to a seemingly select few. The majority of posters within the relevant PlayStation forum thread have expressed disappointment at not making the cut, though they may just be temporary victims of a stuttered roll-out. The few chosen ones are in higher spirits, though seem confused by Home's appearance in the store's Blu-ray section.When asked to comment on the Beta's status, SCEA had naught to offer but a quote from a popular anime series, ".........." (Which is to say, more formally, that SCEA did not respond to a request for comment at the time of writing.)%Gallery-1950%[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Phil Harrison answers your questions again...
If there's one thing we love about Sony's Philliam Harrison (what, you mean Phil isn't short for Philliam?), it's that he's always available to answer questions for whatever reason. These are interesting questions, so we'll go ahead and summarize the Q's and the A's below. Enjoy!If you could go back in time, what would you tell your past self?Phil said: "the professional advice I'd give myself is to "think bigger"...I would have encouraged him to be more ambitious, bigger scale, more aggressive in changing the way games were made and also to have invested more heavily in creating online experiences - however experimental, however unsuccessful."Where do you see gaming, socially and culturally, in 20 years?Phil responds thus: "I hope that videogames and electronic forms of interactive entertainment continue to expand to new audiences, all the time. Linked to that, I want to see videogames given more credibility as a mainstream form of entertainment through appropriate cultural commentary and criticism." We all do, Philliam, we all do.So... encouraging or discouraging "homebrew" games?Phil? "Let me first say that Homebrew is sometimes a misused term and so for the purposes of this answer I will exclude pirates and hackers with illegal intentions from the definition." He goes on, "I fully support the notion of game development at home using powerful tools available to anyone. We were one of the first companies to recognize this in 1996 with Net Yaroze on PS1...we will do our industry a service by providing opportunities for the next generation of creative and technical talent." But remember, guys, piracy isn't allowed and Sony will do what they can to prevent that.Does SCE grow concerned over the loss of multiplatform titles?"We have the widest selection of meaningful exclusives on PlayStation 3 - by virtue of our own investments in our development studios and strategic support of independent developers and publishers...Within SCE Worldwide Studios we have the largest platform-dedicated development resource in the industry - with more people, and more teams, dedicated to making games exclusively for PlayStation 3."What're you going to do about all the negative Sony press?Phil replies: "We absolutely have a lot of work to do but I'm convinced we have the right strategy - and recent announcements like Home and Little Big Planet have resonated very positively with our audiences around the world, including some commentators who had been previously critical of us." He also goes on to discuss the mistakes Sony has made and apologizes for them. He also mentions that positive word-of-mouth is far more impressive than any PR firm can do. So as people enjoy the system, they'll grow comfortable in talking about it and recommending it.So... price drop?We're not even going to quote. Because the answer is no. What'd you expect? Feel free to drop some comments on what you think of all this -- we feel he's a pretty competent guy and answered all these reader-submitted questions with the greatest of Sony style. Take that as you will.
Sony's Phil Harrison talks PS3 homebrew possibilities
Given some of the bold statements that Sony's Phil Harrison has made, hinting at possible PlayStation 3 homebrew plans doesn't seem all that remarkable, but it's still nice to hear it coming from the source. While he unfortunately didn't get very specific, he certainly seemed to be open to the idea in a recent interview with Slashdot, saying that he fully supports "the notion of game development at home using powerful tools available to anyone," adding that he believes it's "a vital, crucial aspect of the future growth of our industry." He then went on to earn himself a bit of cred by talking about his Commodore 64 coding past, also citing Sony's Net Yaroze homebrew development kit for the PS1 as evidence of the company's openness to the idea. Let's just hope that any homebrew effort on the PS3 doesn't demand the same premium price that the Net Yaroze did.[Via Gamesindustry.biz]
Reggie lost out to Phil on LittleBigPlanet
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Reggie_lost_out_to_Phil_on_LittleBigPlanet'; If you've been eyeing shots of LittleBigPlanet and wondering why it isn't ours, you're not alone. Even Reggie Fils-Aime thought that Media Molecule, the company behind the intriguing platformer, would be a perfect match with Nintendo. Unfortunately, Sony's Phil Harrison beat him to the punch. Reggie couldn't resist getting in a little jab, though. "That product, I think, is quite intriguing. I'm not sure how well it will do on the Sony platform, quite frankly, but I think that the product they showed was outstanding." Frankly, we're not sure how it'll do, either. After all, people need to actually own a PS3 to be able to play it, eh?Reggie's other comments might shed a little light on what's in store for Nintendo. Though he loves LittleBigPlanet, he wasn't too impressed with Playstation Home, the PS3 community. So when our Miis hit the road on some distant future day, it's probably a safe bet to assume they won't be heading for their house or trophy room.
Phil Harrison talks about the PlayStation 3's European launch
Before we even get into the awesome list about what Phil Harrison spoke about, we have to quote the original article's opening sentence because it's so inspiring: "PS3 may have cemented its place in history as the most successful home console launch ever in the UK, but Sony World Wide Studios boss Phil Harrison says that there has never been a product launch like it in any sector." Bragging rights, anyone? No? Too selfish and rude? Okay, well, still. Fantastic.Harrison's statements can be split into three long quotes, which we'll summarize below because we know you've got other stuff to get done. Right? 165,000 units sold, equating to £100 million worth of business over the course of 2 days. He said: "This not only makes it the most successful games hardware launch, we think it is the most successful consumer launch of a product in the UK." Sony is dumbfounded by their own success: "We have been in the office scratching our heads trying to think of a consumer product that has achieved that level of consumer sales in such a short period of time. If anyone can think of a UK product launch that has raised this amount of business in such a short period of time I'd love to know because we can't think of one." Out-of-stock? Paychecks coming in? Says the Phil: "We are already seeing across Europe out of stock situations where retailers re re-ordering. It was always our strategy to have a good supply. There's never been a launch of a console in Europe that's had a million pieces of hardware sold in or available. We've kept some back in order to continue to supply the market." Good stuff, Phil Harrison. What do you guys think? Was the launch a failure, or was the media quick to hop back onto the Sony-hate wagon and cover the failure of launch events and not the actual sales numbers/data/facts?
Phil Harrison did his part to hype up the Euro launch
Making an appearance at the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street, Phil Harrison gave a speechy-speech about the importance of the European market and how he gets all warm and fuzzy inside to see people waiting to get their greasy claws on the see-every-piece-of-dust-and-fingerpint PlayStation 3. We'll just list his quotes that were worthwhile. Why? ...Because. Every speech has highs and lows, you know? "The fact that we've got the launch here with more consoles shipped on day one that we've ever had in our history is a compliment to the importance of the European market." Well, the extra months to stockpile the Emotionless PS3's probably helped! "I've seen PlayStation 1 and PlayStation 2 launched on Oxford Street but this is the most meaningful for me personally, because I think it's so important not just for our industry but for UK consumers - the fact that they're going to get the best machine with the best software support, the most Network service and the firmware update." Eh, give or take on the software support and network service. But yeah, the PS3 definitely has the firmware update! "They had to wait, and I feel really bad about that. But I'm hoping we can make it up to them with the quality of software that we've got coming out." He refers to HOME and LittleBigPlanet, insisting their announcement was coincidental and not meant to build up some European launch steam. "The fact that people are prepared to invest their time, their money and their passion in queueing up to be part of a launch is great - and it kind of makes all the hard work worthwhile. It's not just for people in the UK, it's for the guys in Japan who make the hardware, it's for the people who make the software, and the thousands of people who are part of the PlayStation story." Aww, that's a nice note to end on. We're part of a story! That's about all he said that we're going to mention. Actually, we didn't leave all that much out. Did anyone go to the Oxford Street launch? Was he there in person or was it a video or something? Not sure how that works since Georgia isn't the biggest attraction for important corporation personalities.
