Unity CEO Apologizes For Calling Devs Who Shy Away From Monetization As ‘F*cking Idiots’
In an interview last week, Unity CEO John Riccitiello dropped a statement criticizing developers who don’t include monetization features in their games, calling them, and I quote, “fucking idiots.” Naturally, this drew the ire of the entire gaming community and video game companies, which Riccitiello responded to by labeling the websites who reported on it, even those that published the quote in full, as clickbait.
“Ferrari and some of the other high-end car manufacturers still use clay and carving knives. It’s a very small portion of the gaming industry that works that way, and some of these people are my favorite people in the world to fight with – they’re the most beautiful and pure, brilliant people. They’re also some of the biggest fucking idiots,” Riccitiello said during his interview with Pocketgamer.biz.
“It used to be the case that developers would throw their game over the wall to the publicist and sales force with literally no interaction beforehand,” he added. “That model is baked into the philosophy of a lot of artforms and medium, and it’s one I am deeply respectful of; I know their dedication and care. But this industry divides people between those who still hold to that philosophy and those who massively embrace how to figure out what makes a successful product.”
The question about game monetization was based on Unity’s recently-announced plans to acquire app monetization company ironSource for $4.4 billion in an all-stock transaction. Riccitiello has since did a full 180 and issued a statement to Unity developers apologizing for his remark and his “crude” choice of words.
“My word choice was crude. I am sorry. I am listening and will do better,” he wrote on Twitter. “I have great respect for game developers. The work they do is amazing. […] Sometimes all a game developer wants is to have a handful of friends enjoy the game. Others want players to buy the game or game items so they can make a living. Both of these motivations are noble.”
“What I was trying to say, and clearly failed at saying, is that there are better ways for game developers to get an early read on what players think of their game,” he continued. “To learn from their feedback. And, if the developer wants, to adjust the game based on this feedback. It’s a choice to listen and act or just to listen. Again, both are very valid choices.
“If I had been smarter in choosing my words I would have said just this… we are working to provide developers with tools so they can better understand what their players think, and it is up to them to act or not, based on this feedback. Anyway, that’s it. Lots of words. And a sentence that I wish I had never said,” he concluded.
No apology was given for badmouthing the press and media sites that published the quotes though. Meanwhile, the company’s stock prices are still down from when the interview was published but has been gained a bit of traction since the CEO’s apology was released.
