Zynga CEO Mark Pincus on Monday confirmed he’s stepping down in the wake of widespread company layoffs and disappointing game sales. Taking over as Zynga chief executive is Don Mattrick, former head of Microsoft Xbox and gaming division.

“I’ve always said to Bing and our board that if I could find someone who could do a better job as our CEO, I’d do all I could to recruit and bring that person in. I’m confident that Don is that leader,” stated Pincus in a blog post today. AllThingsD earlier in the day had reported Mattrick would replace the Zynga founder.

The company Pincus started in 2007 and rose rapidly through hit social games like “FarmVille” and “Mafia Wars” has struggled for months as new titles fizzled and game play shifted from the desktop to mobile devices. Last month, it announced plans to lay off 520 employees, or 18% of its workforce and close three offices to reduce costs.

Zynga in October had previously shed 150 jobs, or about 5% of its employees, and shuttered is Boston office as games other than FarmVille franchise continued to under-perform. Following its December 2011 IPO, the company had also made a costly mistake in acquiring the company behind “Draw Something,” which proved only briefly popular.

In Mattrick, who starts next Monday. Zynga has brought a videogame industry veteran.

At Microsoft, he oversaw growth of Xbox Live subscriptions from 6 million to 48 million. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2007, he spent 15 years at Electronic Arts, including as president of its worldwide studios.

Pincus, who owns a 61% voting stake in Zynga, said he will continue to serve as chairman and chief product officer. The comapny's shares closed Monday up more than 10% at $3.07.