Don Mattrick named Zynga's new CEO
Don Mattrick has been named the new CEO of Zynga, the social games company just announced in a blog post. He starts next week.
"Going forward I'll continue in my role as Chairman and Chief Product Officer," said outgoing CEO Mark Pincus. "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."
Before his departure, Mattrick was the president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, handling products such as the Xbox One. Prior to Microsoft he served as president of worldwide studios at Electronic Arts.
Leaping from the frying pan into the fire, Mattrick will now have to pick up the pieces of Zynga, which has struggled with departures and sweeping layoffs.
Update: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has e-mailed employees regarding Mattrick's departure saying, "Thank you, Don, for setting us on a path to completely redefine the entertainment industry. The strong leadership team at IEB and their teams are well positioned to deliver the next-generation entertainment console, as well as transformative entertainment experiences, long into the future."
Update 2: Don Mattrick's email to Zynga staff has been posted. "I joined Zynga because I believe that Mark's pioneering vision and mission to connect the world through games is just getting started. As Mark was recruiting me to come here, I was impressed by his creativity, drive and the clarity in which he sees the future of games and entertainment as a core consumer experience."
