Unity, the company behind the game development engine of the same name, has just announced that its chairman, CEO and president John Riccitiello will “retire” effective immediately.
“The Board will initiate a comprehensive search process, with the assistance of a leading executive search firm, to identify a permanent CEO,” the press release reads, adding that James Whitehurst will assume the role of CEO and Acting President. “Mr. Riccitiello will continue to advise Unity to ensure a smooth transition.”
While the press release doesn’t mention it, this comes amidst a gigantic controversy in the gaming industry where Unity created a huge backlash with a new pricing model that broke the trust of many game developers.
Many were quick to point out Riccitiello’s history of making controversial statements and decisions around monetization, both at Unity and as CEO of EA, including my colleague Tom Warren:
