Chances are, this has been seen by Sony as an opportunity to build ties with a big player in the industry that doesn't have MS's claws, I mean money, already dug in deep. If Harrison can turn Atari around AND direct them towards PS3 preference then Sony wins big, if he can't then Sony loses nothing because Phil will end up jobless and they can pick him up on the cheap, as it were.
I find this very likely to be a move from the top to counteract the MS/EA swap. Sony would be gambling if that's what they were doing, since Atari may never recover, but they are doing it in a way that almost can't hurt them. In my mind, if this is Sony's idea, it's a very good one. The worst that can happen is that it just doesn't work.
And if it's not Sony's idea then, well, I'm surprised. I'd think they'd want to keep Phil around simply because they probably can't find anyone better. Not to say Phil is their greatest asset, or anything, but in terms of executive-level human resources for the PlayStation brand they really don't have much to work with. If they did, the PS3 would have been a success from day one.
You do not have the right to never be offended.
