Unity has announced that CEO John Riccitiello “will retire” with immediate effect in the wake of a significant uproar over some proposed changes to how it charges developers for the use of its engine.
In the announcement, it is stated that the departing Riccitiello “will continue to advise Unity to ensure a smooth transition” as the business launches “a comprehensive search process” to find a long-term successor to take over as CEO. The Verge reports that James Whitehurst, an advisor at the private equity firm Silver Lake, will fill that role in the interim.
In the press release, Riccitiello said, “It’s been an honor to lead Unity for close to a decade and serve our employees, customers, developers, and partners, all of whom have been critical to the Company’s growth.
Additionally, he said, “I look forward to supporting Unity through this transition and following the Company’s future success.”
The aforementioned backlash from developers and studios was caused by the fact that Unity’s revised pricing plan required them to pay an extra monthly Runtime Fee based on how frequently games created with its engine were installed. Many developers made suggestions that they were seriously considering switching to a different engine in the immediate aftermath of it.