Unity boss resigns after game engine pricing backlash

John Riccitiello has resigned as chief executive of game development tool Unity following a controversial pricing change which angered gamers and developers alike.

The firm had planned to charge studios every time a person installed a game using the Unity engine, which powers thousands of modern video games.

Big developers already pay a licensing fee to use Unity in their games.

The company has since rolled back most of the changes and apologised.

Unity said Mr Riccitiello was retiring from the firm effective immediately.

The game engine is the code behind many popular video games, and is typically used by small studios. Some of the hit games it powers include Pokemon Go, Genshin Impact and Beat Saber.

The developers of Among Us and Slay the Spire, also powered by Unity, were very critical of the changes and even threatened to stop using the tech altogether.

The plans also got an angry reaction online, with fans furious about the additional fees that developers would have to pay and questioning how free-to-play games would have to change to be able to afford the new fees.

Mr Riccitiello held several leadership positions at the firm, including president, CEO, chairman, and was a member of the board of directors. No reason was given for his abrupt departure.

He will be replaced as interim CEO by James Whitehurst, who previously held an executive position at IBM.

“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,” Mr Riccitiello said in a statement.

“I look forward to supporting Unity through this transition and following the company’s future success.”

The BBC has approached Unity for comment.