Zynga has named former Microsoft Entertainment head Don Mattrick as its new CEO, replacing co-founder Mark Pincus, the company announced on Monday.
Mattrick, the former president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft, will take over on July 8. Pincus will remain chairman of the board and chief product officer.
In his former role, Mattrick oversaw a team that grew Microsoft’s Xbox 360 global install base by nearly 700% to about 75 million consoles, and grew Xbox Live membership from 6 million to nearly 50 million subscribers in 41 countries.
"Don is unique in the game business," Pincus said in a statement. "He can execute in multiple domains -- hardware, software and network, and he's been the person responsible for game franchises like Need for Speed, FIFA and The Sims. He's one of the top executives in the overall entertainment business and he's a great coach who has inspired people to do their best work and build strong, productive teams."
Zynga's stock, which had been up more than 10% on reports of the imminent move, rose another 3.5% in after-hours trading on the news.