Bozek Out At Atari Following Harrison Resignation

Paulina Bozek, who had been heading Atari's London-based online and casual gaming studio, has left the company following the resignation of Phil Harrison, alongside whom she joined Atari less than two years ago. The company confirmed her departure to UK trade site Develop today. Bozek had also worked with Harrison at Sony, where she was executive producer and director of the SingStar franchise of karaoke games. Her joining Atari came just after Harrison left his role as Sony's Worldwide Studios head to become Atari's president. With yesterday's news that original company co-founder Nolan Bushnell had taken a seat on Atari's board, it was revealed that Harrison had resigned his spot. Harrison stepped down from the president role last year, but along with ex-CEO David Gardner, had kept a board seat. Bozek and Harrison's decisions to join Atari were together seen as a major vote of confidence in the company's rebrand and turnaround efforts. The SingStar franchise has sold some 15 million units worldwide and garnered about $500 million in revenues, and Bozek has earned a BAFTA award for her work. Led by Bozek, Atari's London studio had been pursuing social gaming on platforms like Facebook, an endeavor pegged as key to the company's digital transition. It released a project called Atari Photo Sauce, a relatively simple photo manipulation tool designed for play on social platforms.