Atari's Allison moves to Midway

Steve Allison, a 10-year industry veteran renowned for managing the marriage of Hollywood licenses and talent to game products (including Shiny's Enter the Matrix), will leave his post at Atari, effective December 19.

The following Monday, according to a Midway spokesperson, Allison will take over as chief marketing officer for Midway Games. He will report to president David Zucker and be tasked with ramping up marketing efforts for the once-dominant publisher of the Area 51, Gauntlet, and Mortal Kombat franchises.

Speaking with GameSpot today, Allison said his new responsibilities will include marketing strategy for all Midway products, including games that have movie tie-ins, such as Spy Hunter. Über-popular wrestler/actor The Rock will star in Universal's film adaptation of the classic game, which begins production in Spring 2004.