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[Pathfinder]

Zynga says:

 

[SlickShoesRUCrazy]

Maybe he should go back to just making games.

 

[UpDownLeftRight]

Is Mattrick going to do a hat-trick with a third company?

I've been using the term a Mattrick as a measure of 3 or more fails for a while now, so it would kinda help it go full circle if he does.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

It looks like Mattrick did nothing but good for them:

"The team's hard work for our mobile players has resulted in bookings growing from 27% mobile bookings when Don joined to 60% by the end of last year. Further, to deliver unique and differentiated value to our mobile players, Don and the team acquired NaturalMotion. NaturalMotion has surprised and delighted the world with Clumsy Ninja and CSR Racing resulting in more than 160 million installs to date.

I guess Mattrick was the transition CEO? It seems like they just needed some one to turn the company around and then put in some one closer to the brand as the head who didn't need a big old salary?

 

[Kuni]

I very much don't agree with much, if any, of his decisions in the industry but all the best for the guy. Hope he lands somewhere where he can do good work.

 

[Mario]

Man you guys are quick to blame Mattrick. The guy didn't exactly inherit a gold star business model, I thought we all knew that? Social gaming is probably the most volatile and fickle parts of this industry. I am not gonna completely exonerate him of blame for Zyngas current status, but it sure as hell isn't entirely his fault.

He certainly signed up for a challenging situation, for sure.

However, I think he made a critical business error early on when he pretty much cancelled the major effort Zynga was making to move into the gambling space. Zynga was actually well positioned to do really well there, having all the right resources, tech and infrastructure. Mattrick chose to halt pursuit of that "way out", and double down on what they were obviously failing at instead.

 

[Gamezone]

Wow, is Don Mattrick that bad?

First Microsoft, then Zynga?

Im pretty sure that Microsoft thing wasn't forced, and that he was planning to leave before he ruined Xbox.

 

[NotLiquid]

It would be hilarious if he went back to MS.

 

[Muppet of a Man]

Obligatory

Still the best Don Mattrick gif.

 

[Zoloft Sonic]

I look forward to his five-year plan to add microtransactions to Canada's thousands of wishing wells.

 

[BlackLagoon]

I look forward to his five-year plan to add microtransactions to Canada's thousands of wishing wells.

So Don Mattrick is actually the Canadian Devil. It all makes sense now.

 

[BotoxAgent]

he kinda looks like older Tom Cruise, if he decided to do blow and extreme alcohol instead of movies

 

[E92 M3]

Everyone can laugh and all but he still made a ton of money and lives a happy life. As long as he is not messing with my video games, I don't give a crap about what he does.

 

[Devilgunman]

This kid had a bright future.

 

[Occam]

Thanks for the laugh. As encore, please go back to Microsoft.

 

[Leafhopper]

pretty much.

 

[I-hate-u]

I'm referring to his reign at Zynga, baby.

My bad.

 

[Jotaka]

fixed.

 

[Asd202]

Should have been the first post.

 

[Digital-Hero]

He fucked up so bad he ONLY walked away with $57,814,391. Poor Mattrick.

LOL

Failing upwards happens in this industry all the time.

 

[jrDev]

Wait...is this him?

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

The incredibly spotty memory of even recent, well-known, and game-changing video game history in some continues to terrify me.

CEOs: They're just like us!

They use baskets!

Dennis Dyack and Don Mattrick the ultimate team.

Throw in Yoichi Wada and you have a deal.

 

[CalamityPixel]

Wait...is this him?

Yeah, it's actually him.

www.cbc.ca/player/Digital+Archives/CBC+Programs/Television/Front+Page+Challenge/ID/1609519804/

 

[Goodacre0081]

360 is a huge crazy success story. You are not being fair to him.

we have to remember he wasn't there at the R&D/launch phase of the 360s life. if he had been the console might not have been the de facto console for a generation.

 

[Dega]

I'd trade places with him.

 

[# short term cash loans]

because LOLhedidathingonce remember when Don Mattrick didathingonce?????????

A lot of people blame him for "ruining the Xbox brand" or whatever that means. The culture at Microsoft has changed so much over the last few years it's completely irrelevant.

oh you better believe its relevant. he fucked Xbone over for the gen and they'll be playing catchup for the next 6 years, that's on HIM. you can handwave all you like, numbers don't lie. sorry!

 

[Skux]

Out with the old, in with the older.

If these jobs weren't so ridiculously high paying I'd feel sorry for him.

 

[GifGafIsTheBestGaf]

Truly shook

"You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

 

[B.O.O.M]

Eh sounds like Don did a good job...and he got out of it rich as fk too

 

[davepoobond]

Lol

 

[thelastcrusader]

Zynga is probably in a death spiral now. If a company can't hold on to talent and are losing money then what resources can they exactly bring to bear to get back to stability? No one gives a shit about Farmville anymore so they don't even have particularly valuable IP.

Zynga bailout! Do it congress, waste more imaginary money please.

 

[Digital-Hero]

Zynga bailout! Do it congress, waste more imaginary money please.

The monopoly factory can't print them fast enough.

 

[hesido]

That's 1 part Tom Cruise, 1 part I don't know who.

 

[Bedameister]

So he fucked Zynga and got out of there with tons of cash?
I aint even mad at him

 

[Condemned]

Obligatory

Haha thats awsome =)

 

[Retrocore9]

He wanted all the Zynga games to run on the newest versions of IOS and android.

When confronted that not everyone has updated their devices he said "Well, they can always play the old Zynga games"


Not really, but you never know. I think he's off to ESPN next! Dominate!

 

[Deleted member 13876]

I think we put way too much stock in how much a CEO affects a company, both in a positive and negative sense.

 

[Prine]

Perfect. Spencer running the show now, and hopefully many years to come.

 

[2MF]

I think we put way too much stock in how much a CEO affects a company, both in a positive and negative sense.

I think it depends on the company. I imagine some companies are just sailing with the wind, and the CEO doesn't affect things much. But a CEO is sometimes required to make hard decisions on direction, which can have a huge impact on the company.

 

[NervousXtian]

Pretty sure Zygna was on heading straight to insolvency when he took over.. he put them on a better path.

The hate he's getting for this is strange.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

One of Mattrick's last moves was to shut down a game called Ayakashi which was reportedly their most profitable mobile title. Yeah, I don't get it either. I had already quit playing it more than a year ago but I was still surprised when I heard about that.

 

[Vince DiCola]

Dude always reminded me of a shitty Tom Cruise look a like

 

[KyanMehwulfe]

collecting severance at the same time he just sold his west van mcmansion

guy is probably ok with this

 

[Deleted member 13876]

I think it depends on the company. I imagine some companies are just sailing with the wind, and the CEO doesn't affect things much. But a CEO is sometimes required to make hard decisions on direction, which can have a huge impact on the company.

A lot of it seems to be the Halo Effect though, where we'll ascribe positive or negative things to something based on one trait we really like or dislike.

Daniel Kahneman has done some research on this effect in regards to CEOs.

The Nobel economist points out that “in a predictable world, the stronger CEO would be found to lead the more successful firm 100% of the time.” In a world in which random external factors determine success, the more successful firms would be led by stronger CEOs only 50% of the time. In other words, the effect of top talent might be said to be random. In reality, stronger CEOs lead stronger companies only 60% of the time.

He goes more in-depth in his book Thinking Fast and Slow, but I really don't think we should forget all the other factors that lead to a company's success that are very much beyond a CEOs control. The way a market is currently headed and how the economy in general is trending. To give an extreme example think about a Dotcom Bubble era company growing explosively based on pure hype, that got decimated in the bubble's aftermath.

 

[Teeth]

One of Mattrick's last moves was to shut down a game called Ayakashi which was reportedly their most profitable mobile title. Yeah, I don't get it either. I had already quit playing it more than a year ago but I was still surprised when I heard about that.

Do you think there's a possibility that the reports are wrong?

 

[x-Lundz-x]

He's going to replace Reggie and save Nintendo.

 

[Hyun Sai]

Obligatory

I love how the security guard is putting his hand on one of the boxes just in case and realizes nobody is giving a fuck about them.

 

[Chairman Yang]

Pretty sure Zygna was on heading straight to insolvency when he took over.. he put them on a better path.

The hate he's getting for this is strange.

Are you joking? Zynga's doing worse after his tenure at the company.

 

[xzeldax3]

I love that guy's face

 

[RealityPales]

Just in time to return to Microsoft as they prepare to unveil the always online Xbox Duex.

Surely people are ready by now... right?