Unpopular ex-CEO Unity is stepping down and fans celebrate!

Former CEO John Riccitiello, known for several unpopular decisions among both developers and gamers, is stepping down from his prominent roles at Unity, the game engine maker.

Effective immediately, Riccitiello is retiring as president, chief executive officer, chairman, and member of the company’s board of directors. Unity’s controversial CEO is now out, a move prompted by his involvement in recent pricing scheme changes that confused and frustrated the gaming community. James M. Whitehurst, former CEO of open-source software company Red Hat and later president at IBM, will serve as interim CEO.

The impact of Riccitiello’s departure on Unity remains uncertain. In a press release, Whitehurst stated that Unity is well-positioned to continue enhancing its platform, focusing on growth, profitability, and strengthening its community. Unity doesn’t anticipate changes to its profit expectations for the third quarter of 2023 despite recent layoffs and office closures, strategies commonly used to boost short-term profitability.

This announcement has been celebrated as a victory on social media. Riccitiello, disliked by many players and developers, faced criticism for controversies such as employee layoffs and offensive remarks about game developers. He also led Electronic Arts during the controversial shift to always-online gaming and the Origin digital storefronts, which included the problematic release of SimCity in 2012. Despite his optimism about players embracing always-online games, ongoing backlash against titles like Payday 3 proves otherwise.