Unity CEO apologizes for calling some game developers ‘fucking idiots’

John Riccitiello apologized for calling some game developers "some of the biggest fucking idiots" in an interview and promised that he would do better.

This is a saga that has been going on for a few days. On July 13th, Unity, which makes a popular game development engine, announced that it would be merging with iron Source, a company that helps developers monetize their apps. The interviewer of the interview talked about how some developers push back on implementing monetization earlier in a game's development.

Riccitiello said the quote, "fuck idiots".

[Pocket Gamer:] Implementing monetisation earlier in the process and conversation is certainly an angle that has seen pushback from some developers.

Riccitiello: 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 favourite 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.

I’ve been in the gaming industry longer than most anybody — getting to the grey hair and all that. 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. 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.

Donut County developer Ben Esposito was one of the people who criticized that statement. According to their CEO, I am a "big fuck idiot" for not making Hole.io, the F2P game that ripped it off.

i made Apple’s iPhone Game of the Year in 2018 (Donut County) using Unity, but according to their CEO i’m a ‘big fucking idiot’ for not making Hole io, the f2p game that ripped it off https://t.co/Gv1zqy0BjH

— Ben Esposito (@torahhorse) July 14, 2022

A day after the interview was published, Riccitiello apologized on the social networking site. While he apologized for offending developers, he claimed that something was "clickbait" and "out of full context."

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

Riccitiello apologized again on Monday, saying that he wanted to talk about what he said in the interview. He said he was going to apologize. My choice of words was offensive. I would like to apologize. I will do better when I listen.

He made a point of clarifying his comments to Pocket Gamer. There are better ways for game developers to get an early read on what players think of their game. They want to learn from it. The developer can change the game based on this feedback. It's a choice between listening and acting. Both are good choices.

He says that is it. A lot of words. I wish I hadn't said it.