Former PlayStation, Xbox and Atari exec Phil Harrison joins Google (Updated)

Update (01/23 at 15:47): Reuters is reporting that, according to a Google spokesperson, Phil Harrison has joined the company’s hardware division and will be reporting to senior vice president Rick Osterloh. There’s still no word on the specific role Harrison will be taking on in Google’s hardware unit.

Original article (01/23 at 00:57): One of the video game industry’s best known leaders has announced he has joined Google. Phil Harrison, who has previously worked at high level positions at Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox divisions, stated today on his Twitter page, that he is now a Vice President and General Manager at Google.

Harrison did not reveal exactly what division he will be taking on as VP at Google in his Twitter post, but considering his long track record in the gaming industry, it’s likely that he will be in charge of at least some of the company’s gaming-based projects. He joined Sony’s PlayStation unit in 1992, and rose up through the ranks to become the president of Sony Worldwide Studios. He left Sony in 2008 and briefly served as President of Atari before leaving that company in 2009. In 2012, he joined Microsoft to take charge of its European Xbox division, but left the company in 2015.

Harrison’s only other detail in his Twitter post is that he will be moving to California for his new Google gig. The company itself has not yet mentioned hiring Harrison, but we would expect that he could take on the task of expanding the company’s gaming efforts. That could include its Daydream VR platform, and its ARCore augmented reality efforts. Earlier today, Google announced it has created a prototype AR viewer for its Chrome web browser.