In the wake of Unity's highly controversial policy regarding runtime fees, which it has now altered based on community backlash, its CEO and President John Riccitiello has now stepped down. In addition, he has also stepped down from his position on the board of directors as chairman.
As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the change is effective immediately with James M. Whitehurst stepping up as the interim CEO and President while the firm seeks out a permanent replacement. Roelof Botha, the lead independent Unity board director, has also been appointed chairman.
Here's what Whitehurst had to say regarding the situation:
"I am confident that Unity is well-positioned to continue enhancing its platform, strengthening its community of customers, developers, and partners, and focusing on its growth and profitability goals. I look forward to working closely with the board and our talented global team to execute on our strategy, and I anticipate a seamless transition."
Meanwhile, Riccitiello himself has commented on his departure, stating his gratitude for his time spent at the firm for the better part of a decade:
“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. I look forward to supporting Unity through this transition and following the Company’s future success.”
Unity's recent policy change, which effectively charges developers a fee for each time a game utilising the engine is installed, was met with harsh criticism from developers, with some even stating their intention to move away from the Unity engine entirely for future projects. This eventually led to multiple apologies from Unity and an overhaul of its pricing structure.
Of course, the timing of Ricitiello's departure could well be entirely coincidental; he has been serving in the same role since 2014, after all. However, there is generally a period of transition when someone in such a high position opts to leave, and the abrupt nature of this change in leadership perhaps indicates a link to Unity's recent policy debacle.
In addition to the policy controversy, Riccitiello also gained a certain amount of notoriety for selling 2000 shares in Unity prior to the policy announcement. Again, the timing here may be coincidental, as the executive had sold more than 50,000 shares over the past year while purchasing none, but such a move still raised a few eyebrows in the industry.