Phil Harrison talks about Atari, reason for quitting, opportunities for gaming

Curious as to what the future holds for Phil Harrison? Then this update direct from the ex-SCEI President himself should give us a look into what awaits Phil, via his first speech as Infogrames president. We have to say, he’s got his work cut out for him. Check all the details in the full article.

Phil Harrison is definitely making today’s headlines, what with leaving Sony to become the president of Infogrames and all. But after the rather drastic change in occupation, what’s next for the man who brought us PlayStation Home? We find out via his first speech to colleagues and key press, held in Manhattan’s Ritz-Carlton hotel.

In the speech, Phil explained why he left Sony, and he did this by pointing to the key elements now arising in gaming and setting gamers (as well as developers) aflame. Here is his exact statement, verbatim:

After 15 years at Sony Computer Entertainment, where I had the chance to be part of something really special, and I’m incredibly proud of everything that company has achieved, the things that excited me the most, the things that turned me on as a gamer, and as a business person, and as a creative person were the future of our industry, the connected community experiences.

All the things we’re starting to see emerge that are really exciting players around the world. And those are the things I started thinking about in terms of creating a company or getting involved with a company to really shape and direct a business towards that future.

He then began talking about Atari, and how he sees it as the biggest opportunity that exists in the industry today – the opportunity to “redefine, refocus, and and re-energize an incredible brand,” a brand that helped gaming become what it is. And for his opening salvo, Harrison introduced the latest Alone in the Dark (PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii) title by Eden Studios – in itself a rebirth of a classic series.

While we’re certainly surprised, we also can’t help but be excited at the prospect of a bigger, better and badder Atari. Here’s to Phil and his plans to get Atari back where it belongs.