Xbox One's President Don Mattrick Left Microsoft for Fading Developer Zynga

By Justin Sarachik, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Microsoft's President Don Mattrick is leaving the company to become CEO of gaming developer Zynga.

The departure has come at a crucial time for Microsoft as the Xbox One is months away from release.

"Just days before the company planned to announce a massive reorganization and months before the release of Xbox One, there was no contingency plan for Mattrick's departure– a sign that almost no one had a clue," wrote Fast Company according to The Wall Street Journal.

The Xbox division will now be run temporarily by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in the wake of Mattrick's departure.

"Thank you, Don, for setting us on a path to completely redefine the entertainment industry," Ballmer said in a message to employees reports Arstechnica.com.. "The strong leadership team at [the Interactive entertainment Business group] and their teams are well positioned to deliver the next-generation entertainment console, as well as transformative entertainment experiences, long into the future."

Developer Zynga confirmed the acquisition by releasing a statement earlier this morning through Mark Pincus, who will step down from CEO at the company and move over to chairman of the board chief product officer.

"Don is unique in the game business," Pincus said in a statement. "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."

Mattrick, who joined Microsoft in 2007 after serving as Electronic Arts president for a number of years, was thought to be taking a job with EA Sports, a higher paid and more lucrative job, according to online sources.

What makes his decision more curious is the recent struggles of Zynga as they have had multiple rounds of layoffs and executive departures. Their stock is down as well, and they have seen a drastic drop off of users, reported Arstechnica.