Don Mattrick has jumped ship from Microsoft and has been “unanimously” appointed as the CEO of Zynga. Mattrick spent six years at Microsoft, the last three of them as the president of the Interactive Entertainment Business. He was responsible for the team that grew Microsoft’s Xbox 360 global user base and helped steer it to what it is today.
Mark Pincus, Founder, Chairman and Chief Product Officer at Zynga offered this statement:
“Don is unique in the game business, he can execute in multiple domains — hardware, software and network, and he’s been the person responsible for game franchises like ‘Need for Speed,’ ‘FIFA’ and ‘The Sims.’ He’s one of the top executives in the overall entertainment business and he’s a great coach who has inspired people to do their best work and build strong, productive teams. He deeply understands the value of a network and the importance of creating lifelong consumer relationships. He turned Xbox into the world’s largest console-gaming network, growing its installed base from 10 to 80 million and transformed that business from deep losses to substantial profits. And he has grown the Xbox Live player network from 6 to 50 million active members in 41 countries. Going forward, I’ll continue in my role as Chairman and Chief Product Officer. I’m excited to partner with Don and the rest of our team to return Zynga to its leadership role in inventing and growing Play as a core human experience.”
Whether this is seen as good or bad news, some questions have been raised. Why would Don leave Microsoft after the Xbox One reveal? Is this just a simple promotion? Or could Mr Mattrick be abandoning ship? Either way VGU wish him the best in his new position for when he starts on July 8th!
But what do you think? Is Don Mattrick getting out before the fall or is he just moving on? Let us know what you think in the comments below!