????其他只要與Kinect相關的事情就是眾所周知的歷史了。Kinect銷量在2月達到巔峰的2,400萬臺，電腦狂人為其編寫了不計其數的程序，從3D涂鴉到機器人控制，應有盡有。更能說明馬特里克貢獻的是：更高級版本的Kinect將隨著每臺Xbox One主機在今年晚些時候打包發售。這款設備被認為是全新Xbox產品的核心體驗。

????盡管如此成功，但馬特里克離開微軟卻并不令人驚訝。高德納咨詢公司（Gartner Research）移動部門副總裁范?貝克說：“我認為對他而言，微軟的環境可能有點讓人失望。說實在的，對微軟而言，Xbox業務只是附屬業務之一。”考慮到這家科技巨頭的核心業務仍然是Windows和Office這樣的軟件，貝克認為Zynga給馬特里克提供了一個機會，能夠在一家時刻以其行動為前沿和核心的公司大展拳腳。更不用說新主機的發布很可能引起微軟與競爭對手，PS4制造商索尼（Sony）的一系列激烈斗爭。

????不過在Zynga，馬特里克面臨的任務同樣艱難：公司股票同比跌幅近40%。Zynga依靠開心農場等游戲取得過成功，而這些游戲大部分都需要在其他公司，如Facebook等的架構內運行。貝克說：“這種模式不能成功發展，得想著擴展到社交網絡環境之外，也得想辦法超越以往那些游戲。我認為這很艱難。”

????麻煩在于，即便從七年前Zynga成立開始，游戲業內境況就已風云變幻。移動設備，而非社交網絡，帶動著新游戲的創新。在休閑游戲業，開發精心打磨的游戲和服務的成本正持續增加，正如所謂的頂級史詩巨作《使命召喚》（Call of Duty）一樣。激烈競爭已經打響。想想曾推出過《部落戰爭》等游戲的芬蘭游戲制造商Supercell，在今年第一季度收入1.79億美元，凈利潤1.04億美元。它擁有約100名員工。相比之下，Zynga有約2,400名員工，在今年第一季度收入2.64億美元，凈利潤僅400萬美元。

????馬特里克，這位在傳統電視游戲軟硬件領域擁有扎實業績的游戲業資深專家，能否在Zynga這家完全不同類型的游戲公司再次力挽狂瀾？同樣重要的是：大股東平克斯會不會讓出足夠的權力，放手讓馬特里克采取一切必要的行動？關于這些問題，包括Zynga內部人士在內的每個人，都將很快得到答案。（財富中文網）

????譯者：嚴匡正

????The rest is history as far as the Kinect is concerned. Kinect sales topped 24 million as of February, and hackers have programmed countless applications for it, from 3-D doodling to controlling robots. Even more telling of Mattrick's contribution: a more advanced version of Kinect will come packaged with each new Xbox One console when it arrives later this year. The device is believed to be a central part of the new Xbox experience.

????Despite the success, Mattrick's departure Microsoft may not come as a surprise. "I think Microsoft was probably a bit of a frustrating environment for him because, let's face it, the Xbox business is viewed within Microsoft as sort of an ancillary business," says Van Baker, Vice President of Mobility at Gartner Research. Given the tech giant's main business remains software like Windows and Office, Baker argues Zynga offers Mattrick the opportunity to run his own show at a company where his actions will always be front-and-center. Not to mention the launch of new console hardware is likely to lead to a set of bruising battles with rival Sony (SNE), maker of the Playstation 4.

????But Mattrick has similarly difficult tasks ahead of him at Zynga, which has seen its stock drop nearly 40% overall year-over-year. Zynga rose to success atop games like Farmville which were largely played within the framework of another company's product, namely Facebook (FB). "That's not a formula for success going forward, because you're going to want to expand outside the social network environment but also expand outside those initial titles, which is where I think they're struggling," says Baker.

????Trouble is, the landscape for games has changed dramatically, even since Zynga's founding seven years ago. Mobile devices, rather than social networks, are now driving innovation in new titles. The costs to produce highly polished games and services continue to rise in casual games, much as it has in so-called tiple-A blockbuster titles like Call of Duty. And competition has spiked. Consider this: Supercell, the Finnish maker of titles such as Clash of Clans, made $104 million in profit on $179 million in revenue in the first quarter. It has about 100 employees. Zynga, by contrast, has about 2,400 workers and made $4 million in profits on revenue of $264 million in the first three months of this year.

????Can Mattrick, a gaming industry veteran with a proven track record in traditional videogame hardware and software, do the same for Zynga, an entirely different kind of gaming business? Equally as important: will Pincus, a majority shareholder, relinquish enough control so Mattrick can do what's needed? Those are questions everyone, Zynga insiders included, will have the answers to soon enough.