Just weeks after the company made headlines for some incredibly ill-advised and widely-panned changes to its developer pricing, Unity has revealed that John Riccitiello will be “retiring” from his roles as company President, CEO, Chairman and member of the company’s Board of Directors effective immediately.
Riccitiello, who has lead the company for almost a decade, will reportedly continue to “advise” Unity until his replacement is found, with James M. Whitehurst serving as CEO, President and board member in the interim.
“I am honored to join Unity as Interim CEO and President at this important time in its evolution,” Whitehurst said in the accompanying press release. “With the Company’s experienced leadership and passionate employees, 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.”
Unity Announces Leadership Transition https://t.co/NOY30vh70H pic.twitter.com/stqy57qrM1
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While the release from Unity doesn’t address the recent hot water that Unity has landed itself in, the timing is quite clear-cut on these changes.
The company upset developers across the globe after it revealed plans to introduce a new install-based revenue model, which would charge developers a fee for every installation of their game after a certain threshold. The plans were quickly decried as poorly thought-out and potentially incredibly damaging, with Unity eventually apologising and significantly revising its plans – though by that point it had well and truly fallen out of favour.
