Phil Harrison is new president of Infogrames ... wow
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Mar 3rd 2008 at 11:00PM }
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]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Magetto @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:09PM
A shop of Dr. Strangelove is so fitting for this article.
Magetto @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:09PM
Well that particular scene at least.
NoHitHair @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:49PM
I wonder if Mr. Harrison has also learned to love the bomb.
Brendon @ Mar 4th 2008 12:30AM
Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!
ogvor @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:12PM
It's like someone hoping into the car of the titular car wreck you can't help but watch. Should be interesting,
Game Casa @ Mar 4th 2008 7:02AM
What!?!?
Don't forget that fightin Phil is sporting the shiny scalp--aka. the corporate power look. Remember, bald is beautiful baby!
--King Arthur
www.myspace.com/gamecasa
Matt B @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:15PM
Mr. Harrison always reminded me of Billy Corgan in a way. The pic is definitely reminiscent of the "Tonight, Tonight" video.
Both Phil and Mr. Corgan are heroes to me.
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Mar 4th 2008 12:02PM
Did he get voted down for the heroes comment or something, because otherwise he's absolutely right.
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Mar 4th 2008 12:32PM
yeah I think the Heroes bit was what did it.
It was a bit...sickening.
giantenemycrab @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:23PM
Biggest downgrade ever?
Lone Starr @ Mar 4th 2008 12:23AM
If he wasn't the totally badass-sounding Directeur Général Délégué, I would whole-heartedly agree.
Reemas @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:34PM
I always thought your not supposed to jump on to a sinking ship.
Execs these days and there way of doing things...
Zoesch @ Mar 4th 2008 12:33AM
And you stand to make a ton of money if you save said ship from sinking which is a very attractive challenge
Double J @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:27PM
I just hope Phil brings back the Infogrames theme.
INFOGRAMES IS INN-O-VATION!
Mr.ESC @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:45PM
He kind of looks like nosferatu in that picture.
THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Mar 4th 2008 1:39AM
kinda?
Jhongerkong @ Mar 3rd 2008 11:50PM
Its like going from athlete to scalper.
Jordan Biffle @ Mar 4th 2008 12:12AM
remind me, what has infogrames made in the past 10 years?
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Mar 4th 2008 12:37AM
ummmm DBfuckingZ. AKA greatest fighting game ever!!!
I laugh at your SF4!!!
FidliousWong (Oatmeal Defense Force) @ Mar 4th 2008 1:34AM
Yes, Dragonball Z is quite enjoyable... mainly because it uses the same combos as Dynasty Warriors.
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Mar 4th 2008 12:03PM
Civ4, Civ 3
qo_op @ Mar 4th 2008 12:38AM
Well he is the president. Maybe this was a personal goal for phil.
Parsnipzilla @ Mar 4th 2008 12:59AM
I really want to know how much they'd be paying him for him to leave Sony...
tmacairjordan87 @ Mar 4th 2008 1:07AM
I guarantee you it's OVER 9000!!!
*hangs head in shame and walks away*
brokenscope @ Mar 4th 2008 1:11AM
I really just can't make any fitting Dr. Stranglove Jokes.
b33eazy @ Mar 4th 2008 1:13AM
Sony prob asked him to resign.Because that is a huge downgrade.
ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Mar 4th 2008 1:52AM
That picture has a problem: the rocket is shooting for the sky.
HighFiveJesus @ Mar 4th 2008 1:55AM
Well.. it was the 60's.
Dougal @ Mar 4th 2008 7:24AM
Erm... I think that the BOMB was being dropped from a bomber (B52?) in the scene with the guy riding it?
Mischa @ Mar 4th 2008 8:11AM
Until you watch Dr. Strangelove, you are banned from voicing your opinion on the internet.
JRM @ Mar 4th 2008 2:43AM
The winner in all of this is still Sony. They got rid of some of their dead weight. It's kind of like an athlete from a winning team, cashing in on a big contract elsewhere, and then the new team realizes how much he sucks on his own.
Just_a_guy @ Mar 4th 2008 4:43AM
giant enemy crab sighted while playing pac-man CONFIRMED
[.sm0ke.] @ Mar 4th 2008 6:48PM
Pac-Man is Namco.
Just_a_guy @ Mar 4th 2008 8:47PM
then make it giant enemy crab sighted while playing PONG confirmed!
Synner @ Mar 4th 2008 5:07AM
Yes, apparently the PS3 wasn't bombing fast enough for him, so he wanted to really go down in flames.
Mills and Boom @ Mar 4th 2008 7:29AM
Holy crap. Infogrames? Last time I saw their name was on V-Rally on the PS1. Now he's going there? Lordy!
I'm so sorry Phil.
NATO_Duke @ Mar 4th 2008 10:14AM
Yet you knew who Atari was right? You know, the Atari owned by Infogrames. They are a holding company that buys software developers - and you have heard of their games recently, such as Civilization, Driver, Stuntman & Timeshift until they sold them to other companies.
I don't see why people are all of a sudden talking about this being some huge "downgrade". He has a chance to lead a game company on his terms and rebuild the Atari of yesteryear. The company he is with now has the ability to secure credit in order to boost Atari - and then when it is viable and strong again, they can sell it at a huge profit.
If that is what he wants to do then good for him.
Mischa @ Mar 4th 2008 8:12AM
I think this story just broke my brain.
waynski1457 @ Mar 4th 2008 8:54AM
man, thats one amazing photoshop. you guys continue to outdo yourselves again and again.
dark_inchworm @ Mar 4th 2008 9:53AM
Massive damage has occurred, Phil Harrison crisis aversion strategy being deployed.
Bucket @ Mar 4th 2008 10:23AM
Screw that, go to UbiSoft and give me another Beyond Good & Evil.
Brilliam @ Mar 4th 2008 10:39AM
I don't care. I have faith in Infogrames/Atari. Why? Because when I was a young'un, I had an Atari ST. I had Operation Neptune, Asteroids, Superski, and, most importantly, BUBBLE GHOST. Any company ever attached to a game as awesome as Bubble Ghost can do no wrong.
Bring back Bubble Ghost, Phil! You know it's the key to sucsess!
Brilliam @ Mar 4th 2008 10:39AM
or, you know, sucCess
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Mar 4th 2008 12:31PM
I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure today's Atari is only connected to the Atari, that walked this earth at least a 100 years ago, by name only.
Brilliam @ Mar 4th 2008 12:34PM
Yes and no... but those games I mentioened were totally published by Infogrames! :D
bearxor @ Mar 4th 2008 11:05AM
This is a huge risk for Phil, but if he can be put in to power and then turn the company around, Phil will pretty much have a golden ticket for anywhere in the game industry he wants.
The situation at Infogrames is not irreversible. With the right moves and decisions, the company can be a big money maker. It will probably be a good solid 10 years of work for Phil though.
Charlie Bendone @ Mar 4th 2008 1:05PM
Lets be completely honest, something happened with Phil at Sony. No way in the world would you have left a position like that to work for Atari.
Im sorry but there is a much bigger underlying story which, my friends, we will probably never get to hear about. That could be anything from arguing with a big big boss to being caught in a bush outside Sony HQ with one of the male cleaners. Come on, he got the look for it ;)
Mr Khan @ Mar 4th 2008 4:58PM
It's like if CliffyB decided to go on and make Carnival Games 2, or if Shiggy declared that he was making BMX: XXX 2, or if David Jaffe went from making God of War to, oh, wait...
However, he made this decision, he certainly had a good reason to do it. Perhaps he wants to make more of a name for himself by turning around a tanking company, or something