A man who helped create some of the world’s most recognizable video-game franchises has been inducted into the Order of B.C.
Don Mattrick co-founded Distinctive Software at the age of 17, making his start with various sports and actions games for Amiga, Apple II, Commodore 64 and PC DOS.
The Burnaby-based gaming studio would go on to be acquired by video-game publisher Electronic Arts in 1991 and create the popular sports game franchises of NHL, NBA Live and FIFA.
While at Electronic Arts, Mattrick helped shepherd the first The Sims video game through a difficult development period.
Speaking to students at the University of Victoria in 2017, Mattrick joked that his colleagues thought he was a fool to put 75 people on a life-simulation game at a time when action games like Diablo II and Counter-Strike reigned supreme.
“Literally, for five years someone would come into my office and say: ‘This is never going to ship!” he said. The Sims video-game franchise would have $5 billion in sales over the next two decades.
Mattrick went on to become Electronic Arts’ president of worldwide studios before leaving for Microsoft to oversee its Xbox division.
During his time at Microsoft, Mattrick championed for a branch office to open in Victoria, which operated from 2012 to 2013.
Mattrick’s last high-profile position was as the CEO of game company Zynga, of Farmville fame, a position he held until 2015.
The award citation says Mattrick has shown “unwavering” dedication to the province and his tech companies have created thousands of jobs.
Electronic Arts Canada, which grew out of Distinctive Software, has a 450,000-square-foot campus in West Burnaby and employs about 1,300 people.
Mattrick now largely spends his time running MdGP Capital, an asset management firm, with his wife Nanon de Gaspé Beaubien-Mattrick, according to a biography provided by the province.
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]
