Unity’s CEO promises to ‘do better’ after calling devs not prioritising monetisation ‘f***ing idiots’

videogameschronicle.com:

Unity CEO John Riccitiello has apologised and promised to “do better” after calling developers not prioritising monetisation “fucking idiots” in an interview this week.

Riccitiello made the controversial comments in an interview with PocketGamer.biz, in which he was asked about pushback from some developers to the suggestion that monetisation should be implemented earlier in the creative process of games.

In response, Riccitiello said that, “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.”

After the exec’s comments blew up on social media and across industry news publications, Riccitiello tweeted to claim that the reporting around his words was “clickbait” and “out of full context”.

However, by Saturday, the Unity boss published a lengthy apology for his comments and attempted to explain more context behind his thinking:

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. My word choice was crude. I am sorry. I am listening and I will do better.

What I can do, perhaps, is provide more on what i was thinking when i did the interview. What i would have said if I had taken greater care.

First — I have great respect for game developers. The work they do is amazing. The creativity can be incredible whether on a AAA console, mobile or indie game, designed to be played by millions. Or a creative project, a game made just for the sheer joy of it.

Second – one thing I have seen is that most game devs work incredibly hard and want people to play their game. To enjoy it. And, when appropriate for players to engage deeply. For the game devs i have