Unity CEO John Riccitiello is Retiring, Effective Immediately
upstart writes:
Former EA CEO will be replaced in interim by James Whitehurst from IBM/Red Hat:
Unity CEO 'Retires' In The Wake Of Fee FiascoJohn Riccitiello, CEO of Unity, the company whose 3D game engine had recently seen backlash from developers over proposed fee structures, will retire as CEO, president, and board chairman at the company, according to a press release issued late on a Monday afternoon, one many observe as a holiday.
[...] The timing of Riccitiello's retirement is certainly intriguing, given Unity's recent history. After announcing a per-install fee that many developers felt would endanger their livelihoods, Unity made major changes and has sent other executives on something of an apology tour. Riccitiello previously served as CEO at Electronic Arts, where his resignation came soon after SimCity's technically (if not financially) disastrous launch, though Riccitiello himself cited financial results.
Arthur T Knackerbracket has processed the following story:
Unity has announced the immediate retirement of president, CEO, chair, and board member John Riccitiello.
The boss's departure follows a botched attempt to charge developers per-install fees for games created with Unity's tools - a step that effectively amounted to charging royalties on each sale of a game. Unity had previously promised never to do such a thing.
Developers did not appreciate Unity's proposal, expressing opposition so vigorous the toolmaker canceled a Town Hall Meeting and mostly walked back its new pricing plan.
Riccitiello's departure was announced in a press release headlined "Unity Announces Leadership Transition." Tellingly, Unity posted it to Business Wire - a press release distribution service and repository that many comms people regard as a source of on-the-record info - rather than its own site.
[...] You may or may not know that Riccitiello was CEO of games publishing house Electronic Arts from February 2007 to March 2013; back then he quit that biz saying he was accountable for EA's under-performing finances. He joined Unity the following year.
Previously:
Unity Makes Major Changes to Controversial Install-Fee Program
Unity Promises "Changes" to Install Fee Plans as Developer Fallout Continues
Developer Dis-Unity
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