A new report from AllThingsD is citing "sources" that claim Don Mattrick, the president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment unit, is leaving the company for a gig at Zynga, the troubled online social gaming company.
Rumor has it that Mattrick will leave his position which centers on the Xbox and all of Microsoft's gaming and entertainment efforts and take the job at Zynga, where he will possibly serve as its CEO. No official announcement has been made as of yet, but one is expected to be made after the markets close today.
Zynga is certainly in desperate need of a change as it has struggled to move into the mobile arena quickly. Since its IPO, Zynga has been hit with a series of problems that have resulted in major layoffs and the closure of multiple office outside of its San Francisco headquarters.
Although Mattrick hasn't handled the reveal of the Xbox One particularly well, the move is seen as a positive step by Zynga founder and current CEO Mark Pincus. Mattrick joined Microsoft in 2007. According to his company bio, "since Mattrick began overseeing the Xbox division, the Xbox 360 installed base grew from 10 million to nearly 80 million worldwide while Xbox LIVE membership increased from 6 million to nearly 50 million."
The big question is how will Mattrick's departure from Microsoft effect the Xbox One? Judging by gamers' reactions to Mattrick, who was blasted early one for the Xbox One's policies, it could help.
