(UPDATE: It has been confirmed in a press release by current Zynga CEO Mark Pincus that Don Mattrick has officially been named as the new CEO and will start next week.)
Apparently Don Mattrick, the current president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, is leaving the company to take a job at the troubled Zynga, the social gaming studio behind titles such as Farmville and Mafia Wars. It is rumored that Mattrick will become the new CEO, but nothing is confirmed at this point.
According to All Things Digital, this move appears to be one that Zynga hopes will help calm shareholders, who have been ditching the company over the last couple of years due to legal controversies and poor sales figures. The move seems to have helped because as of this writing, Zynga’s shares have risen nearly 10 percent to $3.05 per share.
This news comes in the weeks after E3 where Microsoft has had a rough road. Mattrick himself has gotten flak from consumers for his remarks that those without internet connections should stay with the Xbox 360 instead of buying a new Xbox One. The remarks were before Microsoft announced its new policy for online check-ins, which gamers have dubbed the Xbox 180 policy.
Will this move help Zynga rise up from the hole they find themselves in? One can only guess, but hopefully this means even more enjoyable gaming experiences for all of us.
What do you think about this move? Comment below!
