When your house is on fire, you can hang around and pour water on the flames or beat feet for the door. Don Mattrick, Microsoft’s entertainment division president and originator of many memorable Xbox-related PR blunders over the past weeks, is opting for the latter, according to All Things D and other sources. After unveiling the Xbox One and its controversial DRM system at E3, Mattrick took to the press to defend Microsoft’s policies with some poorly worded responses, such as suggesting that consumers who don’t like the Xbox One’s Internet connectivity requirements could opt to just stick with the current-gen Xbox 360. He also was the one who had to issue the recent public letter reversing all those DRM policies he just finished defending. Now Mattrick is stepping down from his position at Microsoft, and all indications are that he will be taking a top spot at Zynga, the beleaguered company behind social hits like Farmville and Words with Friends. His departure from Microsoft likely has little or nothing to do with his PR missteps at and following E3, but the timing does allow for some entertaining fictional boardroom narratives.
An official announcement is expected soon, and there’s no word yet of who will be filling Don Mattrick’s seat at Microsoft.
