Peter Moore has officially resigned from Microsoft Corporation. Taking over is former Vice President of Elelctronic Arts. (EA), Don Mattrick. Mattrick will assume the role of senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business (IEB) at Microsoft. Peter Moore has labeled the decision to resign as a personal choice, wanting to ‘move his family back to the bay area’. He has however secured another lucrative position in the video games industry.

Don Mattrick is the founder of private company Distinctive Software Inc., which merged with EA in 1991. Since this period, Mattrick had held numerous senior positions at EA, and his more recent role as president at Worldwide Studios, where Mattrick resigned in February 2006. Since this time he has been operating as an external advisor for Microsoft.

The president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, Robbie Bach, had this to say:

“Peter has contributed enormously to the games business since joining Microsoft in 2003 and we are sad to see him go, since that time, he presided over the global launch of the Xbox 360™, spearheaded a revitalized and rebranded Games for Windows business, and helped steer the console’s ascent.”

For the time being, Moore will remain at Microsoft through the transitional period, until the end of August where he will return to the San Francisco Bay area with his family. Mattrick, who has 23 years of experience in the gaming industry, will take full control of his position from that point in.

Mattrick had the following to say about the situation:

“Over the past two decades, and the past few months in particular, I’ve worked closely with many of Microsoft’s top leaders and I’ve always been impressed by their talent, passion and commitment… I’m thrilled to join an already strong team that’s delivering truly amazing gaming experiences to customers around the world. I’ve never been more excited about the future of the industry, and firmly believe Microsoft will lead the next great innovations in gaming.”

How this move will affect Microsoft’s gaming division is yet to be seen.