While Phil Harrison’s record in the gaming world has left some folks desiring more, it is clear that the Google Stadia leader put his heart into the project and its surrounding technology. In the last 24 hours, multiple news outlets have reported that Phil has left Google – as indicated in the appointment end date on his LinkedIn page.
This is now additional confirmation that Google’s efforts around Stadia and Immersive Stream have completely wrapped up.
Perhaps more surprising and concerning to the cloud gaming world is the fact that the GM of Amazon Luna (which hasn’t already shuttered), George Tsipolitis, has left Amazon for presumably brighter pastures at Netflix where he will head up a gaming initiative.
This latter move was first reported by AFTVnews, who says:
The General Manager of Amazon Luna, George Tsipolitis, has left Amazon after nine years with the company. According to his recently updated LinkedIn profile, he is joining Netflix as its Senior Director of Engineering for Gaming.
Amazon Luna recently expanded to three new countries, but there is no doubt it is sailing in rough waters. It recently layed off a number of staff, shuttered two of its five subscription channels, lost well over 100 games from its catalog and is growing at a snails pace (by social media presence, reviews, downloads) even after the expansion.
While staff come and go frequently from tech companies, this certainly isn’t good news for Amazon Luna’s division.
It is good news that he is heading to Netflix, though, where he can still have an impact on cloud gaming.
As a Netflix subscriber, I am certainly interested in seeing their approach in cloud gaming. I like their mobile games offerings, so I’d to see more games playable on other devices via the cloud
I wonder who will take the role of General Manager at Luna.