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Unity CEO John Riccitiello insists developers have nothing to fear from him

Unity logo

I always had a soft spot for Riccitiello. He greenlit Mirror’s Edge, and had a beaten-down, wearied way about him, which seemed becoming for the accountable man at EA. Yes, he might eventually have split Dead Space into so many horcruxes that it became a ghost of itself – but he at least had the decency to look guilty about it.

Now he’s been plucked from the pool of displaced CEOs, brushed off, and made boss of Unity. That’s concerned some developers dependent on the game engine for their livelihood – but Riccitiello has told them they’re not to worry.

“My philosophy is not to get bigger or more profitable for the sake of these things,” he said.

Riccitiello repeated the language used in his first statement as Unity CEO-reaffirming the company’s long-held goal to “democratise” game development.

“I strongly believe this and see it as my guiding light,” he wrote on the Unity forums. “Unity needs to continue to pursue its mission with as much purpose and greatness as it can. If this means we’re bigger, so be it.

“I believe Unity has some awesome people that get this mission incredibly well, and I intend to listen to them.”

Riccitiello went on to express a desire not only to help developers make games, but to help them find audiences after release. He wouldn’t offer more than this vague hint as to the company’s future, however.

“It’s too early for me to be specific on all of this, and it would be wrong for me to do that until i spend more time with the teams at Unity,” he said. “Listen first… it allows a better chance of saying something useful later.”

What do you make of EA’s new leader, Andrew Wilson? I can’t help but notice that he still stands at his full height, and isn’t nearly dishevelled enough. But he’s getting pretty good at grovelling on the subject ofBattlefield 4.