Don Mattrick, the president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business – notably Xbox – is reportedly leaving the Microsoft to join Zynga.
“Presenting the thing that will get me fired!”
Zynga, the online social gaming company responsible for titles like Words with Friends and Farmville, has been struggling recently having laid off a number of employees and closing offices.
Mattrick, an experienced leader, could prove to be the answer to Zynga’s troubles. However, the timing here is not the least bit suspicious. This news comes just weeks after the debacle Microsoft had at E3– Mattrick was the face of the much-maligned set of announcements from Microsoft regarding Xbox One’s DRM and “always-online” requirements– as well as Microsoft’s subsequent screeching brakes and hard reverse to overturn their DRM decisions.
It is popularly accepted that Sony trounced Microsoft at the annual event showcasing the best upcoming video game related products.
With the poor publicity Microsoft has received, one is left to speculate if this is Mattrick’s way of jumping ship before being dragged down– or, more likely, this is what it looks like when you’ve made a huge mistake at the House of Gates.
With no suitable replacement in sight, Microsoft has their work cut out for them to clear the runway before Xbox One is available in November.