Microsoft have confirmed that Phil Harrison, who was brought into the company in 2012 as Vice President of the Interactive Entertainment Business, is leaving the company, according to several reports . The news comes over a month after rumors began to circulate that he was leaving, although both Harrison and Microsoft refused to talk about the matter at that time. Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox at Microsoft, broke the news by issuing a statement to Polygon.
“Following a successful tenure as Corporate Vice President in Xbox in Europe, Phil Harrison has chosen to pursue business interests outside of Microsoft. Phil has been a distinguished leader for our European Xbox team — overseeing production at our award-winning European studios and making a substantial contribution to the Xbox business globally. I want to thank Phil for his creativity and leadership over the past three years. Phil is a great friend of mine and I wish him the very best with his future endeavours.”
Spencer also took to Twitter to wish Harrison well in the future.
Great time working together @MrPhilHarrison and good luck on the next chapter. You are a true professional.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) April 17, 2015
Back when Harrison first joined Microsoft back in 2012, he was welcomed with open arms, and said he was excited to be joining the senior team at Microsoft, as the Inquisitr has previously reported.
“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.”
Speaking about taking Harrison on board at Microsoft, Spencer at the time said that he was the “ideal person” to have in that position.
“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.”
Prior to his stint at Microsoft, Harrison served as president and board member at Atari, following a tenure of more than 15 years as an executive at Sony Computer Entertainment from 1992 to 2008. As of yet, there is no such confirmation as to whether Harrison left his role as Microsoft for another company, or if his departure was due to internal factors.
