John Riccitiello appointed Unity CEO

Unity co-founder David Helgason is stepping down from his position as the firm’s CEO, with former Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello stepping up to fill the role.

Helgason will remain on with the company, as executive vice president of strategy and communications.

"I’m so proud of everything Unity accomplished in the last decade but now it’s time to look forward to an excellent future. Our mission is an important one, so I’m incredibly happy that John has agreed to lend his formidable experience to the role of CEO at Unity," Helgason said.

"We’ve had the chance to work together over the last year-and-a-bit and come to recognize how similar our views are on the importance of the democratization of development to a thriving developer ecosystem and healthy games industry. We’re in great hands."

Riccitiello served as part of Unity’s board of directors for the past year, following his departure from EA in February 2013.

"Unity has been a hugely positive force in the games industry for years. Now it’s my incredible fortune to have the opportunity to help guide Unity going forward," Riccitiello stated.

"Unity is more than a great engine or packages of services, it’s an amazing and diverse community of developers, many of which are changing the way we think about game design and production. Unity’s mission—to democratize development—is an important one that I’m very happy to help drive forward."

The announcement comes in the wake of recent buyout rumours the company itself shot down.