Unity announced that John Riccitiello will no longer serve as the company's CEO, chairman and board member, effective immediately. The former EA CEO joined Unity in 2013 and has led the company ever since. His departure is undoubtedly related to Unity being criticized by the game developer community for its controversial charging policy a few weeks ago.
Former IBM President James Whitehurst has been appointed interim CEO and President of Unity, and Roelof Botha, independent director of Unity's board of directors, has been appointed as the new chairman.
Last month, Unity announced a plan to charge developers for every installation of games developed using the Unity engine. Starting in January 2024, the UnityRuntimeFee will apply to games that meet a minimum revenue threshold and exceed a minimum lifetime install count.
This move was criticized by a large number of developers, and some even boycotted Unity by shutting down its advertising products. Unity was later forced to revise its plans. Unity says it will no longer charge an installation fee for users on the UnityPersonal or Plus plans, and the fee will no longer apply to existing games.