14 DAY TRIAL // Don Mattrick has wasted no time in his new role as chief executive officer at Zynga and has sent out a companywide memo that offers some information on why he decided to join the company, while praising it for making gaming mainstream.
The new CEO says on the company blog that he has admired Zynga titles for years, mentioning both FarmVille, the game that created the initial success period for the firm, and Words with Friends.
Mattrick also has kind words for company founder Mark Pincus, which has been widely criticized by some analysts for failing to use the success of Zynga to create a dominant market position in the mobile space.
The former Microsoft man also lists some of his own gaming experience, including Need for Speed, The Sims, Kinect, FIFA and the Xbox One.
The CEO has not offered any hints of how he plans to turn the fortunes of Zynga around or about his overall plans for the structure of the social game company.
At Microsoft, Mattrick served as the leader of the Xbox One development team and he became one of the public faces of the next-generation consoles earlier in the year, when the device was revealed.
He was also the first to talk about the restrictive DRM solutions that the Xbox One would feature, although his departure is not linked to the public backlash that ensued.
Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft, has praised Mattrick’s contribution over the years and suggested that he would lead the Xbox One launch process.
It will be interesting to see whether any future Zynga video game projects are linked to the new home console.
Most analysts believe that the future of the company is linked to the rapidly growing mobile market, powered by both Android and iOS.
The full text of the note reads:
“Team,
By now, you’ve had a chance to read Mark’s email about my coming aboard. I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself and share with you how excited I am to be here.
I’ve admired Zynga for years. You have redefined entertainment and brought gaming to the mainstream.
Only Zynga combines engineering, industry-leading product management and analytics to deliver products that strike a chord with consumers and add real value in their lives.
More than 1 billion people have installed a Zynga game across web and mobile and popular franchises like FarmVille and Words With Friends are a daily habit for millions of people. It’s a staggering milestone that speaks to the mass market opportunity ahead of all of us.
I joined Zynga because I believe that Mark’s pioneering vision and mission to connect the world through games is just getting started. As Mark was recruiting me to come here, I was impressed by his creativity, drive and the clarity in which he sees the future of games and entertainment as a core consumer experience.
For the last 30 years, I’ve been fortunate to work with smart people on exciting projects. I’ve managed over 100 platform transitions and I’ve never lost my love for seeing products as creative experiences that bring people together.
I’ve had the chance to lead the teams behind brands and franchises like Need for Speed, FIFA and The Sims and networks and consumer services like Xbox and Kinect. I’ve seen firsthand how powerful franchises and networks can work together to deliver breakthrough value for consumers and drive sustainable growth. We too, have all the makings of a successful service and business and we have the opportunity to create lifelong relationships with our customers through our high quality products.
Zynga is a great business that has yet to realize its full potential. I’m really proud to partner with a product focused founder like Mark and work with the executive team to grow the DNA of the company and lead this transition.
I’m looking forward to meeting everyone at our All-Hands tomorrow. Please feel free to submit any questions you have for Mark and me here – see you soon.
Don”