John Riccitiello Steps Down As CEO of Unity After Pricing Battle

Dean Takahashi reports via VentureBeat: John Riccitiello, CEO of Unity, has resigned from the company in the wake of a pricing controversy that left developers in open revolt. Unity said in a press release that James M. Whitehurst has been appointed interim CEO and president of the company. Meanwhile, hoping to avoid a stock panic, Unity said that it is reaffirming its previous guidance for its fiscal third quarter financial results, which will be reported on November 9. Roelof Botha, lead independent director of the Unity board, has been appointed chairman. Riccitiello will continue to advise Unity to ensure a smooth transition, the company said. The news isn't a surprise as Unity angered a lot of its loyal game developers a few weeks ago after pushing through a price increase based on numbers of downloads -- and then retracted it after an uproar. Unity said the board will initiate a comprehensive search process, with the assistance of a leading executive search firm, to identify a permanent CEO. "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," Riccitiello said in a statement. "I look forward to supporting Unity through this transition and following the company's future success."

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