www.kotaku.com.au
Open in
urlscan Pro
192.0.66.63
Public Scan
URL:
https://www.kotaku.com.au/2023/10/unity-ceo-john-riccitiello-steps-down/
Submission: On October 11 via api from US — Scanned from AU
Submission: On October 11 via api from US — Scanned from AU
Form analysis 4 forms found in the DOM
GET https://www.kotaku.com.au/
<form role="search" method="get" action="https://www.kotaku.com.au/" class="wp-block-search__button-outside wp-block-search__icon-button search wp-block-search"><label class="wp-block-search__label screen-reader-text" for="wp-block-search__input-17"
style="font-weight: 300;font-style: normal">Search</label>
<div class="wp-block-search__inside-wrapper " style="width: 700px"><input class="wp-block-search__input has-medium-font-size has-secondary-font-family" id="wp-block-search__input-17" placeholder="Search for..." value="" type="search" name="s"
required=""
style="border-top-width: 0px;border-right-width: 0px;border-bottom-width: 1px;border-left-width: 0px;border-top-style: none;border-right-style: none;border-left-style: none;border-radius: 0px;font-weight: 300;font-style: normal"><button
aria-label="Search" class="wp-block-search__button has-text-color has-contrast-color has-background has-base-background-color has-medium-font-size has-secondary-font-family has-icon wp-element-button" type="submit"
style="border-top-width: 0px;border-right-width: 0px;border-bottom-width: 1px;border-left-width: 0px;border-top-style: none;border-right-style: none;border-left-style: none;border-radius: 0px;font-weight: 300;font-style: normal"><svg
class="search-icon" viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="24" height="24">
<path d="M13 5c-3.3 0-6 2.7-6 6 0 1.4.5 2.7 1.3 3.7l-3.8 3.8 1.1 1.1 3.8-3.8c1 .8 2.3 1.3 3.7 1.3 3.3 0 6-2.7 6-6S16.3 5 13 5zm0 10.5c-2.5 0-4.5-2-4.5-4.5s2-4.5 4.5-4.5 4.5 2 4.5 4.5-2 4.5-4.5 4.5z"></path>
</svg></button></div>
</form>POST /2023/10/unity-ceo-john-riccitiello-steps-down/#gf_2
<form method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data" target="gform_ajax_frame_2" id="gform_2" class="optin-newsletter-form-default" action="/2023/10/unity-ceo-john-riccitiello-steps-down/#gf_2" data-formid="2">
<div class="gform-body gform_body">
<div id="gform_fields_2" class="gform_fields top_label form_sublabel_below description_below">
<div id="field_2_1" class="gfield gfield--type-email email-item gfield_contains_required field_sublabel_below gfield--no-description field_description_above hidden_label gfield_visibility_visible" data-js-reload="field_2_1"><label
class="gfield_label gform-field-label" for="input_2_1">Email address<span class="gfield_required"><span class="gfield_required gfield_required_text">(Required)</span></span></label>
<div class="ginput_container ginput_container_email">
<input name="input_1" id="input_2_1" type="text" value="" class="large" placeholder="Enter your email address" aria-required="true" aria-invalid="false">
</div>
</div>
<fieldset id="field_2_2" class="gfield gfield--type-checkbox gfield--type-choice gfield--width-full competitions-deals-field field_sublabel_below gfield--no-description field_description_below hidden_label gfield_visibility_visible"
data-js-reload="field_2_2">
<legend class="gfield_label gform-field-label gfield_label_before_complex">competitions and deals</legend>
<div class="ginput_container ginput_container_checkbox">
<div class="gfield_checkbox" id="input_2_2">
<div class="gchoice gchoice_2_2_1">
<input class="gfield-choice-input" name="input_2.1" type="checkbox" value="Alert me about competitions & deals" id="choice_2_2_1">
<label for="choice_2_2_1" id="label_2_2_1" class="gform-field-label gform-field-label--type-inline">Alert me about competitions & deals</label>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</fieldset>
</div>
</div>
<div class="gform_footer top_label"> <input type="submit" id="gform_submit_button_2" class="gform_button button" value="Subscribe" onclick="if(window["gf_submitting_2"]){return false;} window["gf_submitting_2"]=true; "
onkeypress="if( event.keyCode == 13 ){ if(window["gf_submitting_2"]){return false;} window["gf_submitting_2"]=true; jQuery("#gform_2").trigger("submit",[true]); }"> <input type="hidden" name="gform_ajax"
value="form_id=2&title=&description=&tabindex=0">
<input type="hidden" class="gform_hidden" name="is_submit_2" value="1">
<input type="hidden" class="gform_hidden" name="gform_submit" value="2">
<input type="hidden" class="gform_hidden" name="gform_unique_id" value="">
<input type="hidden" class="gform_hidden" name="state_2" value="WyJ7XCIyLjFcIjpcIjc1ZGY2MjkxMzMxNmE3ODAwNTU0YmNmOTQyZjY5YzE2XCJ9IiwiZTlmNGZlNDA1OGZmYmY0MTM5Yzk4NWQyMGNkOTVjM2EiXQ==">
<input type="hidden" class="gform_hidden" name="gform_target_page_number_2" id="gform_target_page_number_2" value="0">
<input type="hidden" class="gform_hidden" name="gform_source_page_number_2" id="gform_source_page_number_2" value="1">
<input type="hidden" name="gform_field_values" value="">
</div>
<p style="display: none !important;"><label>Δ<textarea name="ak_hp_textarea" cols="45" rows="8" maxlength="100"></textarea></label><input type="hidden" id="ak_js_1" name="ak_js" value="1696984746661">
<script>
document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value", (new Date()).getTime());
</script>
</p>
</form>POST /2023/10/unity-ceo-john-riccitiello-steps-down/#gf_2
<form method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data" target="gform_ajax_frame_2" id="gform_2" class="optin-newsletter-form-default" action="/2023/10/unity-ceo-john-riccitiello-steps-down/#gf_2" data-formid="2">
<div class="gform-body gform_body">
<div id="gform_fields_2" class="gform_fields top_label form_sublabel_below description_below">
<div id="field_2_1" class="gfield gfield--type-email email-item gfield_contains_required field_sublabel_below gfield--no-description field_description_above hidden_label gfield_visibility_visible" data-js-reload="field_2_1"><label
class="gfield_label gform-field-label" for="input_2_1">Email address<span class="gfield_required"><span class="gfield_required gfield_required_text">(Required)</span></span></label>
<div class="ginput_container ginput_container_email">
<input name="input_1" id="input_2_1" type="text" value="" class="large" placeholder="Enter your email address" aria-required="true" aria-invalid="false">
</div>
</div>
<fieldset id="field_2_2" class="gfield gfield--type-checkbox gfield--type-choice gfield--width-full competitions-deals-field field_sublabel_below gfield--no-description field_description_below hidden_label gfield_visibility_visible"
data-js-reload="field_2_2">
<legend class="gfield_label gform-field-label gfield_label_before_complex">competitions and deals</legend>
<div class="ginput_container ginput_container_checkbox">
<div class="gfield_checkbox" id="input_2_2">
<div class="gchoice gchoice_2_2_1">
<input class="gfield-choice-input" name="input_2.1" type="checkbox" value="Alert me about competitions & deals" id="choice_2_2_1">
<label for="choice_2_2_1" id="label_2_2_1" class="gform-field-label gform-field-label--type-inline">Alert me about competitions & deals</label>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</fieldset>
</div>
</div>
<div class="gform_footer top_label"> <input type="submit" id="gform_submit_button_2" class="gform_button button" value="Subscribe" onclick="if(window["gf_submitting_2"]){return false;} window["gf_submitting_2"]=true; "
onkeypress="if( event.keyCode == 13 ){ if(window["gf_submitting_2"]){return false;} window["gf_submitting_2"]=true; jQuery("#gform_2").trigger("submit",[true]); }"> <input type="hidden" name="gform_ajax"
value="form_id=2&title=&description=&tabindex=0">
<input type="hidden" class="gform_hidden" name="is_submit_2" value="1">
<input type="hidden" class="gform_hidden" name="gform_submit" value="2">
<input type="hidden" class="gform_hidden" name="gform_unique_id" value="">
<input type="hidden" class="gform_hidden" name="state_2" value="WyJ7XCIyLjFcIjpcIjc1ZGY2MjkxMzMxNmE3ODAwNTU0YmNmOTQyZjY5YzE2XCJ9IiwiZTlmNGZlNDA1OGZmYmY0MTM5Yzk4NWQyMGNkOTVjM2EiXQ==">
<input type="hidden" class="gform_hidden" name="gform_target_page_number_2" id="gform_target_page_number_2" value="0">
<input type="hidden" class="gform_hidden" name="gform_source_page_number_2" id="gform_source_page_number_2" value="1">
<input type="hidden" name="gform_field_values" value="">
</div>
<p style="display: none !important;"><label>Δ<textarea name="ak_hp_textarea" cols="45" rows="8" maxlength="100"></textarea></label><input type="hidden" id="ak_js_2" name="ak_js" value="1696984746663">
<script>
document.getElementById("ak_js_2").setAttribute("value", (new Date()).getTime());
</script>
</p>
</form>POST https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-comments-post.php
<form action="https://www.kotaku.com.au/wp-comments-post.php" method="post" id="commentform" class="comment-form" novalidate="">
<p class="comment-notes"><span id="email-notes">Your email address will not be published.</span> <span class="required-field-message">Required fields are marked <span class="required">*</span></span></p>
<p class="comment-form-comment"><label for="comment">Comment <span class="required">*</span></label> <textarea id="comment" name="comment" cols="45" rows="8" maxlength="65525" required=""></textarea></p>
<p class="comment-form-author"><label for="author">Name <span class="required">*</span></label> <input id="author" name="author" type="text" value="" size="30" maxlength="245" autocomplete="name" required=""></p>
<p class="comment-form-email"><label for="email">Email <span class="required">*</span></label> <input id="email" name="email" type="email" value="" size="30" maxlength="100" aria-describedby="email-notes" autocomplete="email" required=""></p>
<p class="comment-form-url"><label for="url">Website</label> <input id="url" name="url" type="url" value="" size="30" maxlength="200" autocomplete="url"></p>
<p class="form-submit wp-block-button"><input name="submit" type="submit" id="submit" class="wp-block-button__link wp-element-button" value="Post Comment"> <input type="hidden" name="comment_post_ID" value="1334204" id="comment_post_ID">
<input type="hidden" name="comment_parent" id="comment_parent" value="0">
</p>
<p style="display: none;"><input type="hidden" id="akismet_comment_nonce" name="akismet_comment_nonce" value="c5f72792dc"></p>
<p style="display: none !important;"><label>Δ<textarea name="ak_hp_textarea" cols="45" rows="8" maxlength="100"></textarea></label><input type="hidden" id="ak_js_3" name="ak_js" value="1696984746693">
<script>
document.getElementById("ak_js_3").setAttribute("value", (new Date()).getTime());
</script>
</p>
</form>Text Content
Skip to content
* Pedestrian.TV
* Lifehacker
* Gizmodo
* The Chainsaw
* Vice
* Openair Cinemas
* Refinery29
kot-headerlogo-01 A U
See Games Differently
Subscribe
* Entertainment
* Esports
* Xbox
* PlayStation
* Nintendo
* PC
* Mobilefeature
* In Real Lifefeature
* Retro
⛌
Search
⛌
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER!
Now you can get the top stories from Kotaku delivered to your inbox. Enter your
email below.
By subscribing you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Email address(Required)
competitions and deals
Alert me about competitions & deals
Δ
Advertisement
Advertisement
WANT KOTAKU’S EMAIL NEWSLETTER?
Email address(Required)
competitions and deals
Alert me about competitions & deals
Δ
FOLLOW US, SUBSCRIBE AND GET IN TOUCH
* contact
* facebook
* twitter
* instagram
* youtube
* twitch
* feed
RECENT POSTS
* DISNEY EXECS REPORTEDLY URGED ITS CEO TO STOP LICENSING GAMES IP AND JUST BUY
EA
* HADES, JOURNEY, UNTITLED GOOSE GAME VINYL OSTS ARE FINALLY BEING RESTOCKED
* DASHCAM FOOTAGE SHOWS COPS IGNORING ROBBERY TO PLAY POKÉMON GO
* WIN A PS5 CONSOLE AND COPIES OF LORDS OF THE FALLEN
* HERE’S HOW YOU COULD GO TO SXSW SYDNEY GAMES FESTIVAL ON US
Advertisement
DEALS
* THESE LEGO SALES FOR PRIME BIG DEAL DAYS HIT LIKE A TON OF BRICKS
* THE BEST AMAZON PRIME BIG DEAL DAYS SALES, FROM LEGO TO NINTENDO AND BEYOND
* HERE ARE THE CHEAPEST COPIES OF SUPER MARIO RPG IN AUSTRALIA
* THE BEST GAMING DEALS IN AUSTRALIA TODAY
* EVERYWHERE YOU CAN PREORDER THE META QUEST 3 IN AUSTRALIA
SPONSORED ARTICLES
Recommended by
Skip
Ads by
Advertisement
UNITY CEO JOHN RICCITIELLO STEPS DOWN, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
Emily Spindler
1 day ago
October 10, 2023 at 10:58 am
John Riccitiello will step down from his role as CEO of Unity, effective
immediately, following weeks of public outcry related to announced changes to
the company’s game engine pricing. The controversy surrounding the planned
pricing model was not mentioned as a reason for his departure from the company,
but given the amount of noise about Unity’s proposed changes in recent weeks,
it’s likely to have been a contributing factor.
The Unity board of directors shared a statement announcing Riccitiello’s
departure, and also confirmed that James M. Whitehurst will be the Interim Chief
Executive Officer, President, and board member until Unity “[identifies] a
permanent CEO.” In order to “ensure a smooth transition,” Riccitiello will
continue to advise Unity.
The statement thanked Riccitiello for his work since joining the Unity board
over ten years ago, and said at the time he stepped in to lead the company in
2014, Unity “faced significant challenges. Roelof Botha, the newly–appointed
Chairman of the board, said: “John has led Unity through incredible growth over
the last nearly 10 years, helping us transition from a perpetual license to a
subscription model, enabling developers to monetise, building other game
services to serve our creator community, leading us through an IPO and
positioning us as a pioneer in the developer community. Unity would not be where
it is today without the impact of his contributions.”
Riccitiello himself thanked Unity for his time at the company as well. “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,” he said, “I look forward to supporting Unity through this
transition and following the Company’s future success.”
Whitehurst said he anticipated a “seamless transition” as Riccitiello steps
down, with Unity confirming the company’s “guidance” for the next financial
quarter would not be changing in light of the leadership change.
Unity came under fire in September when it announced plans to implement a
runtime fee from January 1, 2024. The fee would have seen developers charged for
individual game installs above a certain threshold. At the time, Unity said the
runtime fee would be applied retroactively to games that met the revenue and
install thresholds. This announcement led to an overwhelmingly negative response
from the game development community around the globe, given the fee would make
using Unity impossible for smaller studios who could not afford to retroactively
shell out for additional fees. Initially, this also appeared to encompass
players who uninstalled and re-installled a game.
Unity quickly walked back a majority of the policy, including its retroactive
nature, and apologised for announcing such massive changes with minimal
consultation. While the changes did alleviate some concerns for game developers,
industry goodwill with Unity remains low — not helped by reports that John
Riccitiello sold around 2,000 shares in the company the week prior to the
runtime fee announcement.
Whether this changing of the guard is the shot in the arm Unity needs to pick up
the pieces after a frankly pretty horrific month is up for debate. At the very
least it looks like they’re hustling to try to recapture the trust of a pretty
disgruntled developer community right now.
Lead Image Credit: Unity
MORE FROM KOTAKU AUSTRALIA
* Unity Bosses Sold Stock Ahead Of Scummy Dev Fees Announcement
* Unity CEO Promises To ‘Do Better’ After Calling Some Game Devs ‘F*cking
Idiots’
* Unity CEO Calls Mobile Devs Who Don’t Prioritise Monetisation ‘Fucking
Idiots’
* Sources: Unity Laying Off Hundreds Of Staffers
RELATED TOPICS:
au
unity
john riccitiello
unity controversy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emily Spindler
Post Twitter Email
SHARE THIS STORY
GET OUR NEWSLETTER
Subscribe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMMENTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 RESPONSES TO “UNITY CEO JOHN RICCITIELLO STEPS DOWN, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY”
READ THE COMMENTS
1. Boxhead
October 10, 2023 at 12:34 pm
I don’t think getting rid of him will do much unless they stop with the
Corpo speak and honestly comes to the developers and community and explain
how they will guarantee Unity’s future… cause developers are not willing to
risk 2-3 year game projects in a company that only sees fiscal quarters
Reply
2. Old Greg
October 10, 2023 at 10:53 pm
“John Riccitiello will step down from his role as CEO of Unity, effective
immediately”
Funny way of saying he was sacked. lets all hope the door hits him on the
way out.
Reply
3. Kasterix
October 10, 2023 at 11:55 pm
Yeah that ‘Riccitiello will continue to advise Unity’ is still a nice red
flag, I don’t care how necessary it is or how its framed.
Though honestly, if I was a current Unity dev damn near all of the upper
management would have to be purged before I would stop waiting for their
reveal of their next party trick designed to screw me over.
Reply
1. Boxhead
October 11, 2023 at 9:31 am
Bigger red flag is the smooth transition is to hand reigns over to the
new acting CEO Whitehurst, who turns out to be the person responsible for
getting investment capital that funded the billion dollar purchase of
Ironsource, the advertising and monetisation company last year… so cut
from the same greedy cloth!
Reply
4. Elrond Hubbard
October 11, 2023 at 2:31 am
“helping us transition from a perpetual license to a subscription model”
Thanks
Reply
LEAVE A REPLY CANCEL REPLY
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Comment *
Name *
Email *
Website
Δ
Advertisement
You May Like
Jackie O’s ‘weird’ admission after $13m mansion splurge realestate.com.au
Unloan, built by Commbank named Australia’s best new home loan Mozo
Food and wine experiences that make the Royal Mail Hotel a destination
Australian Traveller
Popular Trans Twitch Streamer Keffals Arrested After 'Traumatising' Swatting
Incident
Diablo IV Billboard Reminded People Of Lockdown, Advertising Complaint Claims
A YouTube Bug Is Allowing Users To Upload Hardcore Porn
NRL star Mitchell Moses selling double homes for $3.3m realestate.com.au
New Device Removes Black Mold in Just 30 Seconds gadgets4-you.com
From Passion Plays to Krampus: the best European Christmas traditions to
experience International Traveller Magazine
© 2007 – 2023 Pedestrian Group
* AboutKotaku and games. Games and Kotaku. They’d be one in the same in every
lexicon on the planet if it were humanly possible. Whether it’s the latest
info on a new game, or hot gossip on the industry’s movers, shakers and
smashers, you’ll find it all here and nicely packaged at Kotaku. The
Australian edition of Kotaku is focused on taking all this fantastic news and
crafting it into a tasty treat for all you Aussies and Kiwis. Sure, you could
mosey over to the US site, but you’d miss out on all the juicy gaming
goodness that’s relevant – and important – to you. If you’d like to contact
Kotaku with suggestions, comments, or product announcements, you can email us
at tips@kotaku.com.au. Kotaku Australia is published by Allure Media in
association with Gawker Media. Got a game you think we should be looking at?
Contact editor@kotaku.com.au or send it to: Kotaku AustraliaLevel 4, 71
Macquarie StSydney NSW 2000 So, uh, what exactly is this ‘blog’ thing? We’d
love to say it’s some magical technology developed in secret by Thomas Edison
parallel to his work with electricity, but it wasn’t. Essentially, we take
the mess of info coming out…
* Advertise
* ContactEditorial To contact our editors, email tips AT kotaku.com.au or post
to Kotaku Australia, Level 4, 71 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000. Advertising
To advertise on Kotaku Australia, contact our sales team via our advertising
information website. Technical Something not looking quite right? Contact our
tech team by email at office AT alluremedia.com.au. About Us For more
information about Kotaku Australia, visit our about page.
* Privacy Policy
* Terms of Use
Notifications