Phil Harrison Becomes Infogrames President

Phil Harrison, who recently resigned his position as head of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, has been announced as the new president of Infogrames.

Harrison will join new Infogrames CEO David Gardner in developing Atari into a "leading online company," overseeing the studios and content development at Infogrames Group. "I am pleased to welcome Phil to Infogrames," Gardner said. "He has an outstanding reputation in the industry, as one of the key leaders behind the success of PlayStation. We have been seeking an opportunity to work together for some time and I am certain he will be able to make a significant contribution to the publishing strategy of the Group."

"This is the perfect time to join Infogrames and help shape the future of Atari - one of the industry's legendary brands," Harrison added. "As the game business moves rapidly online I believe we have an outstanding opportunity to create amazing network game and community experiences for players the world over. I am especially excited to be working on this challenge together with David, one of the most respected leaders and successful executives in our industry."

Harrison's new responsibilities will include reinforcing Atari's franchise portfolio in order to boost publishing activity, overseeing development of packaged and online games and bringing in world-class design and development talent to strengthen the company's studio capabilities. Rumors of Harrison's move to Atari were reported last week by Joystiq, immediately following reports of his resignation from Sony.