John Riccitiello has stepped down as CEO of Unity, the game development platform, following a pricing alteration that sparked criticism from gamers and developers.
The company was looking to impose a fee on studios whenever someone downloaded a game that was powered by Unity's code, which is the basis of thousands of contemporary video games.
Game developers who use Unity are already paying a licensing fee.
The company has reversed most of its plans and has issued an apology.
Unity declared that Mr Riccitiello was departing from the company with immediate effect.
Many popular video games, such as Pokemon Go, Genshin Impact and Beat Saber, are powered by Unity's game engine. This code is normally employed by small development teams.
Developers utilize this software to create video games, incorporating tools that handle animation and sound components.
Building an engine from the ground up is an option, but it's tricky. To expedite the process, businesses typically opt for pre-made versions.
Unity is favored by developers due to its widespread application and the convenience it offers to novice users.
In September, Mr Riccitiello announced plans to alter the company's charging system for developers, which was met with vehement opposition from some, who even proclaimed they would no longer be utilizing the technology.
Gamers and aficionados raised questions regarding whether free-to-play games may need to be modified to be able to pay for the fresh levies. Unity was required to remove its San Francisco headquarters following a report of a menacing remark on social media.
Mr Riccitiello shared with the New York Times that the reaction had humbled him.
He had been in conflict with the gaming society previously and had to apologise after using obnoxious language to express his displeasure with developers who did not agree with his plan to make money off of their games.
No explanation was provided for Mr Riccitiello's sudden exit.
He came to the company from Electronic Arts, the creator of popular titles like EA Sports FC (formerly called Fifa), The Sims, and Mass Effect, in 2013.
He served as EA's chief executive since 2007, but ultimately resigned after conceding their estimated numbers would miss estimations and taking full responsibility for it.
"Leading Unity for nearly a decade has been a great privilege of mine," declared Mr Riccitiello in a statement, "and I am indebted to our employees, customers, developers and partners for their role in the company's success."
I am eager to help Unity through this shift and to observe the organization's prosperity in the days ahead.
In September 2020, Unity Technologies, headed by Mr Riccitiello, underwent a stock market floatation that gave it a market value of $13.6 billion (11.1 billion pounds). Its share pricing at its apex was almost $200, but it is currently trading at $29.70 each.
Even though Unity has had an increase in their income, reaching $553m in the third-quarter, they are still not making a profit. According to the most recent accounting period, their pre-tax loss was $188.5m.
James Whitehurst will take over from him as interim chief executive, having held an executive position at IBM previously.
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