Zynga "yet to realise its full potential", says Mattrick

New Zynga CEO Don Mattrick believes he can help social publisher Zynga turn its millions of users into the cold hard cash so notably absent from its recent history.

"Zynga is a great business that has yet to realize its full potential," Mattrick wrote in his first letter to Zynga staff since his new role was announced earlier today.

"I’m really proud to partner with a product focused founder like Mark and work with the executive team to grow the DNA of the company and lead this transition."

Matttick said he's "excited" to be part of Zynga, which he believes has "redefined entertainment and brought gaming to the mainstream".

"Only Zynga combines engineering, industry-leading product management and analytics to deliver products that strike a chord with consumers and add real value in their lives," he continued.

"More than 1 billion people have installed a Zynga game across web and mobile and popular franchises like FarmVille and Words With Friends are a daily habit for millions of people. It’s a staggering milestone that speaks to the mass market opportunity ahead of all of us."

The new CEO believes that founder and former CEO Mark Pincus's "pioneering vision and mission to connect the world through games is just getting started" and said that Zynga has the potential to rival EA and Xbox.

"I’ve seen firsthand how powerful franchises and networks can work together to deliver breakthrough value for consumers and drive sustainable growth. We too, have all the makings of a successful service and business and we have the opportunity to create lifelong relationships with our customers through our high quality products," he said.

The full text of the letter is available on AllThingsD.