Last year, in a major coup for the fledgling company, Atari managed to hire former Sony Worldwide Studios boss Phil Harrison to serve as President. Now? Now he's no longer President.
According to a statement made by Atari as part of the company's fiscal year report:
Because of a shift of business operations to the US, Phil Harrison will move from the role of President to that of non-executive Director of the Group. As all Board members, he will continue to assist, support and guide the Company's strategy.
He's still sticking around, sure, but the whole "non-executive" thing makes his new job title sound awfully ceremonial.
Which, if correct, is a shame for Atari, since Harrison is one of the most well-known and successful public faces a company can hope for in this business.
But it must be a bigger shame for Phil, since you only ever get one chance in a lifetime to have a business card that says "Directeur Général Délégué".
We'll contact Atari in the morning, and try to get a clearer idea of what this move means for both Atari and Harrison, along with who, exactly, will be replacing him (the company's report does not specifically name a replacement).
DISCUSSION
So basically... Atari fired Phil Harrison, and instead of making a public embarrassment of the situation (to late), they just gave him a "non-sensical job title", until he can find another 6-7 figure salary job in this market.
Why in the hell did he leave Sony? That was stupid. Regardless of how you feel about them, good or bad — Sony is a name that people recognized. Atari, on the other hand, has the nostalgia aspect. But, at the end of the day, their name is bullshit, and they're games are crap.