Enraged Gamers, Taunted Developers; Unity's CEO Steps Down
John Riccitiello is no longer the CEO of Unity. The controversial businessman resigned less than a month after the company announced shocking fee changes that reverberated through the video game industry.
Notorious among gamers (and developers) Unity's chief executive, John Riccitiello, has resigned. The decision comes less than a month after the company that makes the once-popular game engine announced controversial and radical changes to pricing and fees, which shocked game developers. Eventually the manufacturer withdrew from this proposal.
If you want to know the details of the whole affair around Unity, I invite you to read the following articles:
- Unity apologizes for confusion and announces changes to key aspects of the deal
- Unity Changes Controversial Price Hike Plan After Gamedev Revolts
Riccitiello is leaving his post after nine years at the company. His duties have been temporarily taken over by James Whitehurst.
Importantly, Riccitiello is saying goodbye not only to his position as CEO of Unity, but also to the position of chairman of the company's board of directors - Roelof Botha was appointed in his place.
Interestingly, as we read in the official announcement, Unity's former CEO will still be associated with the company. He will retain an advisory position, which is expected to ensure the technology company's "smooth transition" into the new reality.
Disliked by gamers, hated by developers
John Riccitiello is a highly controversial persona from the world of video games, who is accused of the greed with which large corporations releasing AAA titles are now identified.
These accusations are not unfounded, as Riccitiello is one of the first open advocates of all effective monetization in video games. Examples? Here they are.
- When he was still president of Electronics Arts, he became "famous" for his vision, according to which each additional ammo magazine in Battlefield should cost one dollar - we are talking about real money, of course.
- He also had conflicts with game developers. Developers who do not use proven monetization strategies, were called beautiful artists who, at the same time, were "fucking idiots" to Riccitiello.
What's more, on the occasion of the recent Unity scandal in the lead role, one developer suggested that Riccitiello was supposed to have brought about the collapse of at least two studios where he worked.
There are many indications that the controversy over the proposal of new fees for developers using Unity has been the straw that broke the camel's back for Riccitiello, which has been followed by disastrous PR.
For while we don't have information on who was actually behind Unity's ludicrous strategy (it was probably many people), we can say with certainty that John Riccitiello - because of his tenure - "signed it all," and that this led to his resignation and the loss of confidence towards the company he headed for almost a decade.
