620°

Zynga CEO Don Mattrick to Depart

CNN: "Zynga Inc. (Nasdaq:ZNGA), a leading provider of social game services, today announced that current Chief Executive Officer Don Mattrick will depart the Company and the Board of Directors effective April 8, 2015. Mark Pincus, Zynga's founder and chairman, will return to the role of Chief Executive Officer."

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money.cnn.com
Snookies123936d ago

Wow, it wasn't long ago that he switched over to that job. Kinda glad he's out of Microsoft though. Things started to turn around for the better when he left.

Relientk773936d ago

Yeah, I'm not a fan of Don Mattrick

zeal0us3936d ago

Hell even Stevie Wonder saw this coming.

Blaze9293936d ago (Edited 3936d ago )

@zeal0us

...no. Just no.

d_g3936d ago

stick with xbox 360

LOL

WombBat3936d ago

Bye Felicia(good riddance)

@d_g
hahaha the guy was a total dimwit

TheFanboySlayer3936d ago

One of the most disliked men in the game industry I think.

700p3936d ago

i hope he comes back to Microsoft ;)

morganfell3936d ago

"One of the most disliked men in the game industry I think."

And just look at the number of people, employees and fans alike, that swore he could do no wrong.

BattleAxe3936d ago

^^^^

Yeah, and a lot of those people switched over to the PS4 this generation.

morganfell3936d ago

^^^^Then it's because they saw the voice of reason, witnessed a more powerful machine, and were tired of people lying to them constantly waving the magical chalkboard.

bouzebbal3935d ago

apart from xbox dropping kinect i don't see what people mean by things turn around for the better.
i mean it's the same games they announced 2 years ago that are still to come (halo, QB, fable..)
x1 sold a million after 24hours with Don on board. It was a pretty impressive achievement with all the hate at that time.
I just cannot see what became better at xbox after he left, Rare are still working on kinect games, Phil Harrison left and nothing mindblowing.

mcstorm3935d ago

@abzdiine do you keep up with news regarding the xbox one? A lot has changed since Phil took over and the xbox dropped more or less everything TV related and went gaming again. The xbox one has changed massively over its 1st year on the market.

GMR_PR3935d ago

@abzdiine

"apart from xbox dropping kinect i don't see what people mean by things turn around for the better. "

This could be due to a few factors:

1) You don't want to see
2) You are a blind fanboy
3) You like to troll
4) all of the above

I think #4 is the correct answer.

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 3935d ago
jackanderson19853936d ago

Nearly 2 years. A decent run to be fair

Relientk773936d ago

It's been that long already

geez time flies -_-

AngelicIceDiamond3936d ago

4 years ago Steve Ballmer stated the 360 is not a games console.

What do you know Don Mattricks boss said their console is not for the gamers.

And it showed because the 360 didn't have any new Ip's for a while. Don was completely on board with the fact it was just an app box and future Tv console.

And the X1 hardware was built on that idea. You can't tell me Ballmer and Mattrick didn't have a meeting and least wrote the policies and pitched the specs of the console.

The console being underpowered compared to PS4 is what it is, but its how Don delivered the X1, and most importantly the politics that HE wrote for the console.

As for this. I don't hold a heavy heart. I dislike the guy and what he and his team did to Xbox and Zynga. But good luck in his future endeavors.

subtenko3935d ago

AGAIN!? What is up with this guy? Leaves M$ (good for u xbox fans for sure..) now leaving zynga. Whats he doing?

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3935d ago
wakeNbake3936d ago

To be fair, its not like he was the one who designed the XB1 and its original vision (that takes alot of people) but Im glad he left anyways.

immoracle3936d ago

Since he didn't design it, he shouldn't have made such bold claims publicly about it either.

2pacalypsenow3936d ago (Edited 3936d ago )

@immoracle That was his job, Xbox 360 did pretty good when he was in command , no one complained there .
The xb1 was a cluster**** not because of Mattrick but because of what MS as a company wanted to do with the xb1 and when they saw all the backlash they used him as a scapegoat and changed everything

krypt19833936d ago Show
Palitera3936d ago (Edited 3936d ago )

The design of the [insertbadword] product is not his fault, but the way he dealed with media and consumers is.

His arrogance and lack of charm aside... Objectively speaking, the product had strong perks on its initial always-on state, but he deeply failed to communicate about it, to bring the spot to it, to tell gamers what they would be gaining with their idea.

There was also too much "we will talk about this later", after some nuclearly disastrous PR made people scary, so it got even worse. Second hand sales, for instance: They never revealed which were their plans.

It was an already terrible job (to sell something people hated from the start) terribly done and, if his company communicated better, the product could have had better acceptance by its potential public.

_-EDMIX-_3936d ago

@2pacalypsenow and @WakeNbake

Got to agree as many need to get that he didn't just own MS or anything. MS backed those choices made and he wasn't the only one that solely designed it.

No company just gives such power to one man, hell...lets say they do, you sure that makes any sense? I mean...wouldn't you worry EVEN MORE SO about MS to even just give anyone free reign to do what ever?

lol, though I feel he gets the bulk of the blame and partly so, I don't think folks should just give the sole blame on 1 dude. MS as a whole wanted that concept as they wouldn't be making a whole system around it.

I glad the consumer back lashed made them change the design as that was good for no one. MS gamers or Sony gamers alike. Cause at the end of the day, competition is good and the industry needs to see that this isn't wanted on ANY platform.

Hell, I don't own an XONE, but better believe I spoke against such craziness. I may get one in the future and I damn well don't want Wii U2 or PS5 having that junk in it because of MS.

3936d ago
Wickerman19723935d ago

He approves the design. Had he said "How's about we make it not suck instead" then it wouldn't.

DARK WITNESS3935d ago (Edited 3935d ago )

@ 2pacalypsenow

I would disagree on the xbox doing good under his command.

The 360 was already off to a great start before he took over.

Once he was in command if anything that's when it seemed to start getting stale. I would stay the 360 got off to a flying start. He took over and the engines seem to cut out and it was just left to glide.. had it not been flying at such a high altitude from the begging it would have been a lot worse and it was evident once it got round to the xb1 that it was heading in the wrong direction and slowly going down hill

the failures were not his alone, but he was the face of xbox so to speak and he was not a great face to look at, or one that filled you with confidence.

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 3935d ago
3-4-53936d ago

Obviously this guy should not be running companies at that level.

He isn't an MLB player. AAA at best.

3936d ago
Dark113936d ago (Edited 3936d ago )

Hopefully he join ubisoft soon.

Muzikguy3936d ago (Edited 3936d ago )

Can't say I'm surprised by this. The fall of Zynga would be a good thing IMO. They haven't done anything worthwhile at all (IMO). I'll admit I played FarmVille when it first came out, now there's what 5? They were late to make an app for iOS and now all they're games I just find as cash grabs. I don't have time for all those time consuming games

_-EDMIX-_3936d ago

Agreed.

Consider the company that even ok'ed his decisions in the first place.

Gamer19823936d ago

To be fair MS stuff aside he joined a sinking ship. It may have had millions when he joined and have had games making millions but they were on a downward spiral and were not getting more popular the days of farmville are long gone thankgod. They knew that and brought him in to try and fix it yet they need to realise NOBODY can fix that. The problem with these facebook and mobile games as they fade as quick as they come people lust for the next big thing as quick as the last.

lodossrage3936d ago

Exactly.

I've been trying to tell people that very same thing. Zynga was falling long before he took that job.

I'm not a Mattrick fan either. But It's not as if Zynga was the golden company that he solely tarnished. Zynga was losing money way before he came. And their stock drops at the time showed it in spades.

WCxAlchemist3936d ago (Edited 3936d ago )

Mattrick 4pres 2016

Edit: Something bout his face that makes me want to punch it. Odd really

PudgeyBurrito3935d ago (Edited 3935d ago )

What a legend. Father of the Xbone then chief advisor to Zynga. These to products are flourishing examples of what old Don can do. I couldn't imagine what the blow to the head brass at the old Microsoft was like when they found out he was going over to Zynga. I'd assume they started thinking maybe he was gonna make a better Xbone for the Zynga peeps. Just think for a second.. Farmville at 900p with the power of the cloud and DX12 at launch along with other exclusives like words with friends and Zynga Poker. He probably quit as I feel Zynga couldn't handle his start power and poor Microsoft again, Having to take a PR guy and dress him up as "Honest Phil.. A gamers gamer" then asking him to be as good as the Mattricks. Jesus. LEGEND>

TrollHard4Life3935d ago

Legend is an understatement to say the least.

DaGR8JIBRALTAR3935d ago

OMG that picture is hilarious!

Eejanaika3935d ago

super glad hes gone. reason why i almost left xbox all together....

TV this TV that
KINNECT KINNECT KINNECT

*SMH*

XanderZane3935d ago

Don needs to retire from the business. I'm sure he's a millionaire anyways. Go to some remote island and live the rest of your life there. It will make you and everyone else happy.

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 3935d ago
Godz Kastro3936d ago

I used t be until the Xbox reveal. I didnt know how much of a suit he was. Sooooo glad phil took his place.

affrogamer3936d ago

with his Leonel Messi looking ass LOL

j0ncap1253936d ago

Poor guy can't do anything right. Hope he had a sweet severance package setup!

obz3936d ago

Lol even Zynga doesn't want him.

OtakuDJK1NG-Rory3936d ago (Edited 3936d ago )

more like he just going to company to company trying run them down
tried to with xbox division, now failed with zynga somewhat.

gangsta_red3936d ago

You have got to be kidding me!? CEO's stepping down, former CEO's stepping up, high paid executives staying for 6 months, grabbing stock options then leaving, CEO's putting their "friends" in high positions.

No one else notices this is a high class chop shop of a company?

The sad thing is failed CEO's never get demoted, they just become failed CEO's at another huge company. I mean isn't that insane? Any other job this would never happen, if you suck at something no job would hire you for that position.

audiophile1013936d ago

Actually he isn't leaving because he did a bad job. He was brought in to get the company out if the red and be profitable again, which he has now been successful in.

Read the article and you would have found that out instead of just reading the headline

lameguy3936d ago

From another article last week:

Zynga has posted declining revenues and widening losses since Don Mattrick took the helm of the company. However, the software maker was already trending down on both these fronts. Zynga was a turnaround project when he stepped in. That said, losses last quarter increased to $45 million from $25 million in the prior year.

The article today is full of market speak which hasn't translated to much.

gangsta_red3936d ago (Edited 3936d ago )

Interesting because reading other articles Zynga hasn't posted any financial earnings as of yet and they are still being smashed by other companies in the mobile gaming market like Machine Zone, King and Supercell.

And when does a CEO suddenly leave a company when he turns it around and makes a profit? And then the original CEO who dug the hole in the first place gets put back in charge? Doesn't sound like things were turning around.

Also from another article:

"Mattrick has resigned, effective immediately, and Pincus described the departure as amicable in a call with GamesBeat today. The move isn’t a complete surprise since Mattrick hasn’t yet succeeded in turning around the fortunes of the social gaming company."

"Zynga didn’t describe the change as a firing, and Pincus noted that a mutual agreement between him and Mattrick triggered this move."

You sure Mattrick made Zynga profitable again? Or are you going to believe what Pincus said in this article?

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