Don Mattrick, the now ex-president of Xbox, is leaving Microsoft to become the new CEO of Zynga.
Mattrick has reportedly been in discussions with Zynga for some time, and was also in consideration for the currently vacant CEO position at EA.
The transition does seem a bit sudden though considering for the past few weeks, Mattrick has been the face of Microsoft's console. He unveiled the Xbox One at the May reveal event, and has been overseeing the company's PR woes since then. One has to wonder if Mattrick perhaps no longer wants to fight the uphill battle against consumers as Microsoft tries to introduce new systems with their next-gen device.
Microsoft recently met a harsh consumer backlash after the announcement of the Xbox One's DRM and used game policies. After nearly a month of PR deflection, the company finally succumbed to the pressure, and revised its policies to meet consumer demand.
Mattrick originally joined Microsoft in 2007, leaving a position at EA. He has worked as the president of Xbox for the past three years Many hope that in his new role as CEO of Zynga, he can help revitalize the company's shaky financial situation. In recent months, the stock has remained well below the company's IPO price of $10. Zynga is expected to report its earnings after the market's close on July 25.
"Zynga is a great business that has yet to realize its full potential," Mattrick stated in an internal memo to other Zynga employees
Mattrick will be replacing Mark Pincus, who will stay with the company as the chairman and chief product officers.
"[Don Mattrick] 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," Pincus wrote in a statement.
Pincus will reportedly focus on product development, while Mattrick will oversee the day-to-day operations of the company.