Riccitiello joined video game companyElectronic Arts (EA) in October 1997,[7] initially as president andchief operating officer until 2004.[4][11] He left the company to co-found and be a partner ofElevation Partners, aprivate equity firm specializing in entertainment and media businesses,[12] along withRoger McNamee andBono.[4][11] Riccitiello returned to EA as CEO from February 2007 to March 2013,[11][13][14] when theboard of directors accepted his resignation because of the company's financial performance.[4][15][16] Riccitiello's time as CEO was mired with controversy for EA, with EA being voted the worst company in America two years in a row byConsumerist.[17] EA's reputation suffered due to the increased adoption of unpopular business practices likemicrotransactions andalways-online DRM causing problems with a number of releases, such asSimCity, as well as a lawsuit around allegedly monopolistic behaviour for their football and basketball games.[18][19] Riccitiello was a strong proponent of including these types of mechanics to increase profitability, once suggesting in a 2011 stockholders meeting adding microtransactions to Battlefield that would require paying "a dollar to reload," suggesting that "it's a great model" and a "substantially better future for the industry."[20][21] In 2025, former CEO of industry rivalActivisionBobby Kotick said "[Activision] would have paid for Riccitiello to stay a CEO forever" because they "thought he was the worst CEO in games."[22]
Riccitiello became the CEO ofUnity Technologies in late 2014, having previously consulted for and joined the technology company's board in November 2013.[11][23][25] During his tenure, he has overseen two fundraising rounds, raising $181 million in 2016 and $400 million in 2017.[26] He has also worked to getUnity's game engine into Oculus'ssoftware development kit.[27] Riccitiello led efforts to develop the use of Unity's software tools beyond gaming, in industries such asautomotive design, construction, andfilmmaking.[28][29] In September 2023, Unity announced aroyalty per-installation of games developed using the platform which faced wide backlash from the gaming and development communities, as the system would be extremely expensive for free, indie, or demo games.[30] Many developers that used Unity announced that they would switch to other game engines as a result of this change.[31][32] This announcement came in stark contrast to earlier statements from Riccitiello, who said in a 2015 interview that "there's no royalties, no fucking around" for the release of Unity 5.[33] Within days of the announcement, Unity announced they would soften the royalty program, abandoning it entirely within a year.[34][35] On October 9, 2023, Unity announced that Riccitiello would be leaving the company amid the controversy, appointingJim Whitehurst as interim CEO and president.[36][37][38] By May 2024, stock prices had declined 60% over the year, and the usage of Unity had declined among developers at several game jams.[39][40]
In June 2024, Riccitiello became co-owner of Gratz Pilates, a Philadelphia based manufacturer ofPilates equipment, alongside his wife and former Unity Chief People Officer Elizabeth Osterman.[41][42][43]
Riccitiello was ranked number 39 onSports Illustrated's 2013 list of the "50 Most Powerful People in Sports".[49][50]
Litigation
On 5 June 2019,[51] Anne Evans, formerly vice-president inhuman resources for Unity Technologies, filed asexual harassment andwrongful termination lawsuit against the company, stating that Riccitiello sexually harassed her.[52] Unity Technologies responded that Evans' allegations were false and that she had been terminated due tomisconduct and lapse in judgment.[53] Riccitiello was engaged to the Chief People Officer of Unity when the lawsuit was filed.[42]
On September 10, 2019, the Superior Court of California issued a court order granting Unity’s motion to compel arbitration and stay all proceedings.[51]
Personal life
Riccitiello has two daughters,[2] a step-son, a step-daughter and has lived in various cities for work, including the U.S. cities ofBirmingham, Alabama, Chicago, New York City, and San Francisco, as well asDüsseldorf, London,Nicosia, and Paris.[47] He has been described as "politically active",[2] and donated toBarack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.[47][54] Riccitiello delivered a commencement speech at his alma mater in 2011.[4]
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