Infogrames and its subsidiary Atari have shown signs of a ship in peril in recent years, from fire sale studio sell-offs to laying off 20 percent of its workforce. However, in recent months, the ailing publishers have been working at a fevered pace to plug the many holes in its sinking ship, with the goal, as Infogrames CEO David Gardner brusquely put it last month, to "stop losing money."
Following a €102 million (about $158 million) cash infusion, part of Infogrames' plan was to take Atari private by purchasing all outstanding stock in the company, which its subsidiary agreed to last week. Another part has been to strengthen the company's executive team, welcoming aboard former Sony bigwigs Phil Harrison and Jim Wilson. OBE winner David Gardner himself replaced Patrick Leleu as CEO in January.
In the latest executive shuffle, Infogrames today said Fabrice Hamaide has been appointed chief financial officer, taking the reins from Yves Hannebelle, who served in the position since March 2006. Hamaide is a relative newcomer to the gaming industry, having previously served as CFO at Bluetooth electronics maker Parrot, director at peripheral maker Logitech, and president and CEO of Talkaway Communications.