Unity CEO Apologizes For Harassment At Game Developer During Interview

Unity CEO John Riccitiello has apologized for calling some game developers "some of the biggest idiots" (photo: twitter @johnriccitiello)

JAKARTA - Unity CEO John Riccitiello has apologized for calling some game developers "some of the biggest idiots" in an interview and has vowed he will "do better."

On July 13, Unity, which makes the popular game development engine, announced that it would be merging with ironSource, which offers software that helps developers monetize their apps.

Riccitiello, previously CEO of EA, and Unity SVP Marc Whitten were interviewed by Pocket Gamer about the news. The interviewer talked about how some developers are pushing back on previous implementations of monetization in game development.

That's where Riccitiello says the "damn idiot" quote (with emphasis on us):

[Pocket Gamer:] Implementing monetization early in the process and conversation is certainly a point of view that has been met with resistance from some developers.

Riccitiello: Ferrari and several other high-end car manufacturers still use clay and carving knives. It's a very small part of the gaming industry that works that way, and some of these people are my favorite people in the world to fight – they are the most beautiful and pure, brilliant people. They're also some of the biggest damn idiots. (biggest fucking idiots.)

Clickbait. Out of full context. Deeply sorry if what I said offended any game dev. Absolutely love the people that make games. Creative, hard work. #Unity

— John Riccitiello (@johnriccitiello) July 15, 2022

That statement, unsurprisingly, however led to some significant criticism from developers, including from Donut County (and more recently, Neon White) developer Ben Esposito.

"I made the Apple iPhone Game of the Year in 2018 (Donut County) using Unity, but according to their CEO I was a 'big idiot' for not making Hole.io, the F2P game that ripped it off," Esposito wrote. in twitter.

Riccitiello posted his first apology on Twitter a day after the interview was published. While he's "deeply sorry" for offending the developer, he claims that something was "clickbait" and "out of full context," apparently referring to a "damn idiot" quote from the Pocket Gamer interview.

On Monday, July 18, Riccitiello issued a second apology on Twitter. “I want to talk about what I said in the interview, and my follow-up tweet. I'll start with an apology," he wrote. "My choice of words was harsh. I'm sorry. I listened and I will do better."

Most of his messages were to celebrate the developer, but he also made his comments clear to Pocket Gamers.

"What I'm trying to say, and clearly failing to say, is that there's a better way for game developers to read ahead of time what players think about their games," he wrote.

“To learn from their feedback. And, if the developer wants, adjust the game based on this feedback. It is a choice to listen and act or just listen. Again, both are perfectly valid options."

"Anyway, that's all," he concluded. "A lot of words. And a line I wish I never said."