Sony Worldwide Studios Prez Phil Harrison Resigns
By Chris on Monday, February 25th, 2008 at 2:00 PM PST In Game Companies, Game Consoles, Game Platforms, Games Industry, Portable, Sony, Sony, Sony
It was just days ago that Phil Harrison aired his frustration over his colleagues in Japan who shot down his vision of social gaming. He referred to it as “a very interesting and frustrating thing for me to experience,” noting that he had been “banging the drum about social gaming for a long time, with SingStar, EyeToy and Buzz.”
Sony Computer Entertainment today announced the resignation of Harrison, effective February 29, 2008. Kaz Hirai will see yet another promotion as he will assume the responsibilities of Harrison as head of SCE Worldwide Studios in addition to his current position as president and CEO of SCEI. From the press release:
Prior to the launch of the original PlayStation, Phil Harrison joined Sony Electronics Publishing, Ltd. in 1992, which later evolved into Sony computer Entertainment Europe, and since then, he has made a tremendous contribution to the company playing a strategic role in the launch of four PlayStation platforms, as well as building strong relationships with game developers and publishers throughout the world. Since his appointment to the position of president, SCE WWS, Harrison applied his considerable skill, knowledge and expertise to lead SCE Group’s first party game development as well as aggressively pursuing the development of new online entertainment experiences.
Given the timing of his recent statements, it’s hard to imagine that the two aren’t somehow connected. There’s no word on what his future plans are or if he’ll be doing any sort of exit interviews, but with NDAs and all, we might never know what the cause of his departure was for sure. Wherever he does end up, though, I’d like to wish him the best.
via Evil Avatar
I would like to think that Nintendo would try to snatch him up before anyone else got the chance. It sounds like he thinks a lot like Nintendo does in the way that they plan and base games around the social vibe. Maybe that’s why Sony dissed him. They saw to much Nintendo in his persona.