In a recent announcement, Unity, the game engine developer, has made significant changes following the controversy surrounding the introduction of the Unity Runtime Fee. John Riccitiello, the CEO, is stepping down with immediate effect. Roelof Both, the independent chairman of Unity's board, will take on the role of chairman, and James M. Whitehurst will act as the interim CEO. Furthermore, Unity will launch an extensive executive search with the help of a prominent headhunting firm to find their next permanent CEO.

Event Recap:

Unity caught the industry off guard on September 13 with an unexpected announcement regarding their new fee policy, dubbed the "Unity Runtime Fee". This policy aimed to bill developers based on the number of installations of their games, at an approximate rate of $0.20 per download, starting in 2024. The decision faced harsh backlash from developers, triggering a surge of public outrage. In an attempt to quell the controversy, Unity issued numerous apologies and revised their policies, but the damage to developers' trust in Unity had already been done and was challenging to fully repair.