Current CEO Mark Pincus will remain as chairman of the board and chief product officer.
"Don is unique in the game business," said Pincus of Mattrick's appointment.
"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. He deeply understands the value of a network and the importance of creating lifelong consumer relationships.
"Going forward, I'll continue in my role as Chairman and Chief Product Officer. I'm excited to partner with Don and the rest of our team to return Zynga to its leadership role in inventing and growing Play as a core human experience."
Mattrick added, "I joined Zynga because I believe that Mark's pioneering vision and mission to connect the world through games is just getting started.
"Zynga is a great business that has yet to realize its full potential. I'm proud to partner with Mark to deliver high-quality, fun, social games wherever people want to play."
Original story below:
Microsoft's Don Mattrick president of the giant's interactive entertainment business is set to leave the firm in order to take up a top job at struggling social gaming specialist Zynga.
That's according to All Things Digital, which claims news of Mattrick's departure could be made public in "after the markets close" later today.
The website cites "multiple sources close to the situation" as stating that Zynga CEO Mark Pincus has moved for Mattrick in order to help stabilise his business, with the San Francisco-based outfit having recently culled 18 percent of its workforce and lost key executives.
Zynga or EA?
All Things Digital claim the loss of Mattrick who leads Microsoft's Xbox operations - will be "a big loss" to the company, which it claims is currently without a natural replacement.
However, following a dire series of months for the firm's Xbox business following the muddled unveiling of Xbox One, there may be plenty at the Redmond giant happy to see him go.
Nevertheless, while Mattrick's pending departure is currently being corroborated across Twitter, there's some debate about whether Zynga is his next target.
Giordano Contestabile formally of EA-owned PopCap claims Electronic Arts is the more likely home for Mattrick. Contestabile tweeted, "Mattrick out at Microsoft? If so, my sources say he's bound for EA, not Zynga."
Said tweet was quickly backed up by DeNA's Ben Cousins, previously of the EA-owned Swedish studio Digital Illusions, better known as DICE.
Indeed, such a move is not outside of the realms of possibility: Mattrick previously held a variety of management positions at EA before he moved to Microsoft in 2007, and the two parties recently announced a "strategic partnership" at the initial Xbox One unveiling back in May.
[source: All Things Digital]
