Ballmer to oversee Xbox business

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will oversee the Xbox division following Don Mattrick’s departure.

Yesterday it was announced the Interactive Entertainment president and Xbox chief would be leaving the company and heading to Zynga as CEO, where he will replace current incumbent Mark Pincus.

In a message to employees, Ballmer said that Mattrick’s directs will now report to him, and will continue on as normal with a particular focus on the Xbox One launch, which is just months away.

The email did not go into specifics on the nature of the Xbox chief’s departure.

“Since joining IEB more than six years ago, Don and his team have accomplished much. Xbox Live members grew from 6 million to 48 million,” said Ballmer.

“Xbox 360 became the No. 1 selling console in North America the past two years. We introduced Kinect and have sold more than 24 million sensors. We released fantastic games, and, most importantly, we expanded Xbox to go beyond great gaming to deliver all the entertainment people want – sports, music, movies, live television and much more."

He added: “Thank you, Don, for setting us on a path to completely redefine the entertainment industry. The strong leadership team at IEB and their teams are well positioned to deliver the next-generation entertainment console, as well as transformative entertainment experiences, long into the future.”