Unity, a leading company in video game technology, is grappling with a double crisis. The firm recently faced a credible threat against its U.S. offices in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, California, resulting in a temporary closure of these locations at least until Friday, September 15.
In light of the alarming situation, Unity CEO John Riccitiello announced the cancellation of a company town hall meeting initially scheduled for September 14. “We have taken immediate and proactive measures to ensure the safety of our employees, which is our top priority,” a Unity spokesperson confirmed. The company is actively cooperating with law enforcement to investigate the threat.
This disturbing incident occurs on the heels of Unity’s already beleaguered state, marked by dwindling trust from the game development community. Unity drew severe criticism for introducing a new charging scheme that requires game developers to pay 20 cents every time an end-user installs their game. The backlash was so strong that Unity had to amend its initial plan, stating it would “only charge for an initial installation.”
Despite these amendments, many game developers have expressed ongoing dissatisfaction. Some are even contemplating moving their current projects off of Unity’s platform. “The massive middleware vendor can no longer be trusted,” said voices from the developer community.
The embattled company, which went public in September 2020, has also been struggling financially. By mid-2022, Unity’s stock prices had plummeted, resulting in over a thousand layoffs. Furthermore, Unity executives, including Riccitiello, have been observed selling off shares, adding to concerns about the company’s stability.
As Unity navigates through these compounding challenges, the primary focus remains the safety of its employees while also trying to regain the trust of its once-loyal developer community.