Former Sony Worldwide President, Phil Harrison, Joins Microsoft

It was only a couple of days ago that Peter Molyneux left Microsoft and Lionhead to focus on his new venture, 22 Cans. Nothing substansial is known about 22 Cans just yet, but when one leaves, one comes in. A man that was synonymous with Sony and the PS3, has jumped over to the Interactive Entertainment Business (IEB) leadership team at Microsoft as corporate vice president. That man is Phil Harrison. Harrison was behind the Home experiment on the PS3 and always made an appearence at the big conferences to drop some massive news about the console. He left in 2008, went to Atari, then to Gaikai and now has ended up at Bill Gates house.

Harrison said, “I am excited to be joining the senior team at Microsoft at a pivotal time for our industry…I am really impressed with the company’s long-term vision for growing the market for interactive entertainment globally and also with the incredible wealth of talent, technology and resources the company has available to succeed.”

His job description sees Harrison overseeing the UK based developers, Lionhead Studios, Soho Productions and Rare. Microsoft have stated that he will also, “…influence the broader performance of IEB’s European business through strategic partnerships and by bringing culturally relevant entertainment experiences to Microsoft platforms, now and in the future.”

Phil Spencer, who is the corporate vice president at Microsoft Studios said, “We are honoured to have Phil join a team that boasts a wealth of talent from across the industry…Phil is one of video gaming’s true visionaries, and his experience overseeing global studios and deep industry relationships make him the ideal person to lead our European efforts. Under his leadership, we look forward to continuing cultivating the best talent and growing our business in the region.”

Don Mattrick, president at Interactive Entertainment Business also chimed in. “Phil has played an instrumental role in shaping modern console history through his keen insights into both hardware and software strategy…His addition to our leadership team will impact our global business in innumerable ways, as he aligns our studio development and growing portfolio of entertainment experiences in Europe to drive our continued growth worldwide.”

Major Nelson, Larry Hryb at Microsoft has come out on Twitter saying that Molyneax’s departure and Harrison’s arrival are two unrelated things. Regardless, this is a great move for the company. Harrison was a massive factor at Sony when things weren’t rosy in the PlayStation garden. He also oversaw 13 of PlayStation’s first party studios. Even your dog knows that the Xbox 360 is lacking some exclusive titles as of late, so maybe Harrison might light a fire under a few to create some new IPs.

Phil Harrison will remain as Special Advisor at London Venture Partners, LLP, which he co-founded and is the General Partner of.  London Venture Partners focus on the mobile, internet, social and cloud gaming. With all the recent rumours about a discless Xbox, could this add fuel to the flame? I think so.