Phil Harrison Replaced at Helm of Atari

Kris Erickson • May 30, 2009 • Comments ()

The energetic and outspoken Phil Harrison has been removed from the helm of third-party publisher Atari. Harrison moved to Atari in 2008, after having previously served as Head of Worldwide Studios for the beleaguered Sony Playstation brand during the tumultuous launch of the PS3. Many industry observers were surprised at the move toward the struggling European publisher, whose shares were de-listed from the American Nasdaq in 2008.

Atari enjoyed somewhat of a financial reversal under Harrison's stewardship over the past 12 months. After having released Alone in the Dark to tepid critical reception, the publisher forged publication deals with Namco Bandai and Sony Europe. A recent deal with Sony resulted in controversial timed exclusivity for the upcoming Ghostbusters video game in Europe. The American version of the game will launch simultaneously on both the Xbox 360 and PS3 platforms as planned on June 19th.

Despite recent successes, Atari remains far from profitability. For the 2008/2009 fiscal year, the company reported 136 million EUR in revenue against 226.1 million EUR net losses. In a statement to shareholders, Atari explained that a shift towards the U.S. market prompted Harrison's replacement as President. David Gardner will now step in as Chief Executive Officer, while Harrison will remain on as a consulting board member.

Atari has bowed out of presenting at EA this year, making us wonder what, exactly, their new American publishing strategy will entail.