Unity CEO John Riccitiello has apologized for calling some game developers “some of the biggest idiots” in an interview and vowing to “do better”.
This is a saga that has been going on for several days, so let’s take a few steps back. On July 13, Unity, which makes a popular game development engine, announced that the merge with ironSource, which provides software that allows developers to monetize their apps. Riccitiello (who was previously the CEO of EA) and Unity SVP Marc Whitten were interviewed by means of Pocket Gamer about the newsand the interviewer talked about how some developers are pushing back on implementing monetization earlier in a game’s development.
That’s where Riccitiello said the quote from “fucking idiots” (with emphasize ours):
[Pocket Gamer:] Implementing monetization earlier in the process and conversation is certainly an angle that has been pushed back by some developers.
Riccitiello: Ferrari and some of the other high-end automakers still use clay and carving knives. It’s a very small part of the game 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 purest, most brilliant people. They are also some of the biggest fucking idiots.
I’ve been in the game industry longer than most – the gray hair and all. It used to be that developers threw their game over the wall at the publicist and the sales staff without literally any interaction beforehand. That model is ingrained in the philosophy of many art forms and mediums, and it’s one I deeply respect; I know their dedication and care.
But this industry divides people between those who still hold to that philosophy and those who are massively embracing how to figure out what makes a successful product.
That statement, unsurprisingly, sparked considerable criticism from developersincluding from Donut County (and more recently, neon white) developer Ben Esposito. “I made Apple’s iPhone Game of the Year in 2018 (Donut County) use Unity, but according to their CEO I’m a ‘big idiot’ not to make Hole.iothe F2P game that ripped it off,” Esposito wrote on Twitter.
i made Apple’s iPhone Game of the Year in 2018 (Donut County) with Unity but according to their CEO I’m a ‘big idiot’ for not making Hole io the f2p game that ripped it off https://t.co/Gv1zqy0BjH
— Ben Esposito (@torahhorse) July 14, 2022
Riccitiello posted his first apology on Twitter a day after the interview was published. While he was “deeply sorry” for offending developers, he claimed something was “clickbait” and “out of context,” ostensibly referring to the “fucking idiots” quote from the Pocket Gamer interview.
click bait. Out of context. I’m very sorry if what I said offended a game developer. Absolutely love the people who make games. Creative, hard working. #Unit
— John Riccitiello (@johnriccitiello) July 15, 2022
On Monday, Riccitiello shared a second apology on Twitter: “I want to talk about both what I said in the interview, and my follow-up tweet. I’m going to start with an apology,” He wrote. “My choice of words was rude. Sorry. I’m listening and I’ll do better.”
Much of the post celebrates developers, but he also makes a point of clarifying his comments to Pocket Gamer. “What I was trying to say, and clearly haven’t been able to say, is that there are better ways for game developers to read early on what players think of their game,” he wrote. “To learn from their feedback. And, if the developer wishes, adjust the game based on this feedback. It is a choice to listen and act or simply to listen. Again, both are very valid choices.”
“Anyway, that’s it,” he concludes. “Many words. And a phrase I wish I never said.”