Microsoft's president of Interactive Entertainment Business will quit and join Zynga as its new CEO on 8th July 2013. The current Zynga CEO, its founder Mark Pincus, will step down from the position and work as chairman of the board and chief product officer. Zynga's shares rose over 10 per cent yesterday on the news that Pincus was stepping down and have risen another 4.5 per cent in after hours trading, following the Mattrick news, as I write.
Mattrick has a long and distinguished video gaming history, reports the FT. At the age of 17 he set up his own video games company, Distinctive Software. His company's first popular games were on the Commodore 64 and the company was successful up until the Amiga/PC gaming crossover era when, at the age of 27 Mattrick decided to sell up to EA. He stayed on working with EA for the next 25 years. After retiring from EA he came to Microsoft in 2007 as SVP for Xbox 360. In 2009 he gained his current president role, answering only to Steve Ballmer. During his time at Microsoft the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live have gained a huge user base. Don Mattrick was very much in the public eye at the recent E3 show where he took to the stage to show off the new Xbox One, accessories and software.
Zynga has experienced a rocky patch since its stock market floatation in 2011. The firm hasn't had a blockbuster game in months to follow up the likes of FarmVille and has been dabbling in online gambling. It is hoped that the direction of Don Mattrick can help the firm become a success again.
In a statement published on Mashable, Mark Pincus said "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."
It seems like investors and analysts are happy with the move as Zynga's share value has responded very favourably to the news.
