According to GamesIndustry.biz, multiple sources have confirmed that Phil Harrison is set to leave Microsoft. There has been no official comment by Microsoft as of yet and even Harrison himself declined comment on the subject, telling Eurogamer at the GDC today, “I’m sorry, I don’t think I can say anything about that.” According to Eurogamer, Chris Charla, director of [email protected], also declined comment.
Harrison has been the Microsoft corporate vice president since 2012. Before landing a gig at Microsoft, Harrison was the president of Sony Entertainment Worldwide Studios, as well as serving on the advisory board of the game streaming service, Gaikai. In January 2013, Harrison announced the launch of Lift London, a game studio focused on creating games for TVs, mobile platforms, and tablets.
GameIndustry.biz reported that as of today, there is word that Lift London will be closed. There is no confirmation as to whether the possible departure of Phil Harrison from Microsoft has anything to do with the reported closure of Lift London. Reportedly, Harrison became frustrated when Don Mattrick departed and Phil Spencer was promoted, resulting in Harrison not moving up the corporate ladder.
Stay tuned to WinBeta for more info as this story develops. For now, we are labeling this as a rumor until Microsoft sheds some official light on the matter.
