Published , by Asif Khan
Published , by Asif Khan
Unity CEO John Riccitiello has stepped down from all of his roles at the company following a tumultuous few months.
The company issued a press release to announce the management leadership changes. "James M. Whitehurst has been appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer, President and a member of the Board. Roelof Botha, Lead Independent Director of the Unity Board, has been appointed Chairman. Mr. Riccitiello will continue to advise Unity to ensure a smooth transition."
“It’s been a privilege to lead Unity for nearly a decade and serve our employees, customers, developers and partners, all of whom have been instrumental to the Company’s growth,” Mr. Riccitiello said. “I look forward to supporting Unity through this transition and following the Company’s future success.”
“Working with Unity under John's leadership has been one of the highlights of my career. John joined the Unity Board in 2013 and stepped in to lead the Company in 2014, at a time when we faced significant challenges,” Mr. Botha said. “John has led Unity through incredible growth over the last nearly 10 years, helping us transition from a perpetual license to a subscription model, enabling developers to monetize, building other game services to serve our creator community, leading us through an IPO and positioning us as a pioneer in the developer community. Unity would not be where it is today without the impact of his contributions. I remain excited for the future of Unity.”
Unity management has been under fire following the company's bungled announcement of runtime fees. Less than a month ago, Unity had to close two office locations after receiving death threats from one of the company's own employees. Riccitiello also shoved his foot in his mouth in July 2022 when he called mobile developers who don't bake monetization into their development plan "idiots."
It's no secret that Riccitiello is not liked by many people in the video game industry, with failed stints at several companies. In fact, John Riccitiello's track record as CEO has been pretty terrible. It's always amazing to see companies give him another shot, so while today may be cause for celebration by developers who have been making games with Unity, it may only be a matter of time before Riccitiello is back again at the helm of another company.