Zynga founder Mark Pincus is to stand down as CEO next week, to be replaced by the head of Microsoft’s Xbox division, Don Mattrick.
Pincus (pictured above left with Mattrick), who will stay on as chairman and chief product officer, said Mattrick was “unique in the game business”, having achieved success in the three fields of hardware, software and networks.
Mattrick, who spent six years at Microsoft, three as president of Interactive Entertainment, oversaw the launch of North America’s best-selling console the Xbox 360 and the development of the world’s largest console gaming network, growing the membership of the Xbox Live player network from 6 to 50 million globally. Prior to Microsoft, he was president of worldwide studios for games developer Electronic Arts, overseeing the launch of successful titles such as Need for Speed, the FIFA series and The Sims.
Unanimously appointed by the Zynga board, Mattrick has been charged with turning round the fortunes of a company which has struggled to replicate the success of earlier games such as Farmville and Texas Hold’Em Poker since it floated in 2011, losing around 70% of its IPO value. The company laid off close 20% of its total workforce last month, as it refocuses on breaking the mobile channel.
News of Mattrick’s appointment came on the same day new research was released showing Zynga had ceded its position as the No 1 developer of social casino games to US real-money gaming giant Caesars, measured by revenue.
According to figures released by Eilers Research to Venture Beat, Caesars claimed 18.6% of the social casino market in the second quarter of 2013, ahead of Zynga with 15%, with IGT claming third spot with 14%.
The changing of the guard was due to Zynga’s Texas Hold’Em poker suffering a double-digit percentage decline. Caesars has grown its business virtually from scratch by acquisition since 2011, buying Slotomanic developer Playtika in 2011 and Bingo Blitz owner Buffalo Studios last year, also running its own Caesars Casino on Facebook.
US machine giant IGT, which also licenses its online slots content across the European market, also owed its elevation in the rankings to an acquisition, its $500m buy of Doubledown Studios.
Article written by Katy Stirland
