Robbie Bach and Don Mattrick talk to Joystiq about Peter Moore's departure
by Christopher Grant 
{ Jul 17th 2007 at 5:58PM }
We had a chance to speak with Microsoft's President of the Entertainment & Devices Division, Robbie Bach, as well as Don Mattrick, the new Peter Moore, about Peter Moore's departure, which was announced earlier today. First, when asked how important one person is, and whether gamers should care about Moore's resignation, Bach responded that there is a group of gamers that track the industry and track its personalities, and that these gamers would care about the decision (that's you guys, if you're reading along at home). Bach suggested that, in the near term, Moore's departure will have "basically no effect. Halo 3 is still Halo 3, and Don's not changing that. Peter wasn't changing that." However, if you look out two to three years, "a leader does have an impact." For example, Peter was "uniquely good at understanding the importance of communication." Bach described him as a "consummate speaker, marketer, and evangelist" for their product who did a "great job with gamers, the press and analyst community, and retail partners."
Alright, so we all know who Peter Moore is, but what about Don Mattrick? Bach said Mattrick will obviously be the new "public face" of their business, though his core talents are different from Moore's. Where Moore was focused on the marketing and strategy side, Mattrick will be focused more on their core product. So, while there was some overlap between Peter and Robbie, Bach feels that he and Don will work in slightly different ways. Of course, Don has been working as a "strategic adviser" for the Entertainment & Devices division since February after leaving EA in 2005. So, was this a groomed succession or serendipity?
Bach says Peter approached him "maybe a month" ago, and then they approached Don about two to three weeks ago. So while Don was hired to help the broader entertainment business at Microsoft, his taking over of the games business is "fortuitous." Mr. Mattrick said he was surprised by Peter's decision to leave Xbox (so are we ... remember his relationship with EA Sports back when he was heading up Dreamcast?).
Lastly, we had to ask if the recent pitfalls facing Xbox had anything to do with Moore's decision to ride off into the Bay Area. Namely, the $1bil warranty writeoff, narrowly missing their already reduced 12 million sales figures, and a general lack of profitability at Xbox overall. Bach responded that the timing was "circumstantial" and Moore's decision has "no relation to profits," and that Xbox is not even forecast to be profitable yet (that's coming up this fiscal year).
So, we'll have to wait a couple years before we begin to see where the SS Xbox is headed under the watchful eye of Capt. Don Mattrick, but it sounds like Microsoft is happy with their choice. Now, Don, how do you feel about tattoos...?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Supino @ Jul 17th 2007 6:04PM
he'll be missed. I liked him.
MegaMan @ Jul 17th 2007 9:26PM
Doesn't it seem like poetic justice?
Moore goes from schilling for M$ to schilling for EA.
Almost seem the same doesn't it?
"and remember, Halo 3 lands Sept. 25th...and, well, that's about it...uhm, I'm outta here!"
jBiber @ Jul 17th 2007 6:10PM
Man, i don't think EA is gunna like his halo and gta tattoos.
Ian Von Porter @ Jul 17th 2007 6:13PM
Is it too late to fix NBA Live '08?
kennethrios @ Jul 17th 2007 6:20PM
That is a strange comment..."basically no effect. Halo 3 is still Halo 3, and Don's not changing that. Peter wasn't changing that." Why would it change? I do not believe that anyone feared that Halo 3 would morph into Metal Gear, Super Paper Mario or Zombies Ate My Neighbors just because Moore's leaving.
Triforceowner @ Jul 17th 2007 7:40PM
Remember when Kuturagi left Sony? A lot of people said, "This is good, the PS3 is definitely in for changes." I think that that kind of thing was being referred to (just changes in general).
Christopher Grant @ Jul 18th 2007 8:51AM
I think he meant that Halo 3 is more responsible for defining their platform at this point, and nothing an executive does can hurt (or help) that reality.
Hater3000 @ Jul 17th 2007 6:20PM
The guy was kind fo cool you know,IMO he did a good job.That other guy looks like a n00b.
Godspeed.
elmer @ Jul 17th 2007 6:24PM
"Bach responded that the timing was "circumstantial" and Moore's decision has "no relation to profits," "
Funny Bach is commenting about timing, profits and good practices, seen as he just unloaded $6 million in MS shares out of schedule in the month before announcing >$1billion quarterly losses. Last I heard he's under investigation by the SEC.
Jouten @ Jul 17th 2007 6:33PM
Peter Moore is a very good PR guy and was influential throughout the 360's cycle thus far. I think we all might be reading into this too much. For the type of personality he is, I would not put it past him if he just honestly felt that he wanted to work closer to his family. Who can blame the man for that?
Good luck and best wishes Peter Moore, your professionalism and persona will definitely be missed by Microsoft.
Thanks for watching out for 'us consumers', even during the interviews that tested your patience and professionalism.
Matthew @ Jul 17th 2007 6:39PM
Moore has been all over the industry. Remember when he was the public face of Sega during the Dreamcast years? I don't remember what his actual title was. I think he worked for other game companies besides Sega and Microsoft.
fli @ Jul 17th 2007 6:42PM
I'm gonna miss him, i guess we'll see mr mattrick at x07.
fli @ Jul 17th 2007 6:44PM
I'm gonna miss him, i guess we'll see mr mattrick at x07.
FrankTheCrank @ Jul 17th 2007 6:46PM
How soon before J Allard is out the door???
For Allard not to be at E3 is pretty significant.
Bet's are on!!! I say Allard is out by Sept 1st.
Ska Oreo @ Jul 17th 2007 6:48PM
The reason why he wasn't at E3 is because he's working on the Zune.
Christopher Grant @ Jul 18th 2007 8:52AM
Allard hasn't appeared publicly in relation to Xbox in years. Move along, nothing to see here.
RROD @ Jul 17th 2007 6:47PM
They'll never stop me...
I'm RROD. Coming to a 360 near you!
oldschoolgamer @ Jul 17th 2007 8:30PM
You can hang out with your friend, SELB.
Sony
Exploding
Laptop
Battery
MegaMan @ Jul 17th 2007 6:53PM
I can't wait for end of month sales.
You think PS3 is doing bad, wait till the tallies come in for 360. 360 has piqued. Due to RROD, nobody's touching a 360 till the new hardware revision hits. It's all downhill from here.
Well, it was sweet lived. Thanks M$. Hey, wait, they should be thanking us for bilking all that money out of us.
Mike @ Jul 17th 2007 6:54PM
I'm more concerned with how Don feels about microtransactions than tattoos. Bear in mind he was with EA during some of their greatest microtransaction blunders. The 360 has been on some shaky ground when it comes to DLC, and I wonder if a former EA employee won't sink the XBLM ship faster than you can say "give us all your money".
Stevo @ Jul 17th 2007 7:12PM
Yeah, I hear ya. It should be interesting-- but I'm sure it'll work fine in the long run. Regardless of what they say, I'm pretty sure this was a well deployed succession plan.
Jonathan @ Jul 17th 2007 7:13PM
I can honestly say that it make me sad to see Peter leaving Microsoft and the Xbox team. When i read it just a minute ago it hit me really hard in my chest. Peter has done an amazing job at Microsoft and I love his professionalism and his understanding of the industri. He has always had a charisma that I have grown to really like.
It's hard to see anybody else taking over the role that Peter has had on the xbox team.
I really hope he loves his new job, and that he is doing this choice because of personal reasons and to become happier.
Peter, You are a great person for the gaming industry and I think that you have done an amazing job during your career. I wish you the best at your new role at EA and I hope you will enyoy the changes in your life.
Kärlek.
thecmoneyshow @ Jul 18th 2007 1:22AM
It's not often that you hear a companyman "Apologize" let alone believe them. Peter came across as a sincere DUDE!
I'm strangely sad.
Good luck at EA.
REUYL @ Jul 17th 2007 7:41PM
I honestly didn't expect this. He sounded like he was really committed to Microsoft at E3.
digitalain @ Jul 17th 2007 8:48PM
To Peter Moore:
Good luck and good bye. I know I shall miss you.
shoeshine @ Jul 17th 2007 8:48PM
Peter Moore's leaving is very unfortunate. He was the only "public face" of any of the three console companies that didn't spout bullshit left and right. He treated consumers with respect and thought of us as more than saps. I hope the new guy doesn't fall into the same class of executives that the other companies have chosen.
Beesmum @ Jul 17th 2007 11:10PM
I have the distinct honor of working on Don Matrick's property when he lived in Vancouver for a lawn/gardening company. He had a huge(I mean city block huge) plot of land near the University, really beautiful and scenic, looking onto the ocean. I only met him once or twice myself, but he was always really polite and courteous, a stand up sort of fellow. Can't help but add class to Microsoft's public image. Kudos to him.
Sonic_extreme @ Jul 17th 2007 11:25PM
How Ironic. Moore was with Sega and Ea sports didn't give it the light of day. Thus only supported SONY. As sega left the hardware business Moore went to MS. Sonys biggest competitor as far was budget is concern. Moore has said alot of things of Sony even as to saying that Sony is failing in Japan. Mattrick last big job was with EA in 2005. Was Mattrick responsible for shelling all the cash Making NFL Exclusive to EA sports only? Can Mattrick now shell even more cash to get EA sports Exclusive to Xbox. That would make a big Statement. Will Moore having been in competion with Sony in two consoles wars O.K the deal making EA Sports 09 and beyond Exclusive To Xbox. Funny how MS made a Big deal of EA Sports during EA but hardly if any mention on the 2k series of sports?
Just a few things to consider.
Charli3 @ Jul 18th 2007 12:18PM
Hey C. Grant,
Any word on whether we (gamers) will hear from Don Mattrick, himself?
He has some big shoes to fill. Moore was very good at communicating with the blogging/gaming community. Some type of statement directly from him would be welcomed. The gaming community is eager to learn more about him since he is taking over for someone that was well-liked by gamers.