The uproar in the video game industry caused by a single person was tremendous. This individual, of course, was someone very significant: John Riccitiello, CEO of Unity, the most widely used game engine in the gaming sector.
Less than a month after detailing a controversial change in its business model (which has now been rectified), Unity has announced that John Riccitiello will step down as CEO and president.
Riccitiello has held the position since 2014, and the executive will also vacate his seat on the board as chairman.
James M. Whitehurst will assume the role of interim CEO and president of Unity. Additionally, Unity’s lead independent director, Roelof Botha, has been named chairman.
A highly controversial CEO
Despite Riccitello’s good reputation in certain sectors of the industry, not all of Unity’s ideas during his tenure as the company’s leader have panned out well. Recent history speaks for itself.
For example, shortly after announcing their new generative AI tools in June, Riccitello doubled down on his support for the technology, stating they would be trained on in-house art or third-party licenses.
The issue arose when this statement came a week after the company severed ties with one of its AI partners following the revelation that they were selling assets created by human developers.
His departure also comes less than a month after the company announced that it would add a new Runtime Fee charge every time a game using its engine was installed.
The idea was rejected by nearly all developers, leading Unity to reconsider the controversial policy, including the removal of the fee for any game created with a Unity Personal license.
As they say in Spain: ‘Riccitiello, may you take as much peace as you leave in the company.’
