Unity said in a press release that James M. Whitehurst has been appointed interim CEO and president of the company. Meanwhile, hoping to avoid a stock panic, Unity said it is reaffirming its previous guidance for its fiscal third-quarter financial results, which will be reported on  9 November

Roelof Botha, lead independent director of the Unity board, has been appointed chairman. The company said that Riccitiello will continue to advise Unity to ensure a smooth transition.

Unity angered many of its loyal game developers a few weeks ago after pushing through a price increase based on the numbers of downloads and retracted it after an uproar. Unity said the board will initiate a comprehensive search process, with the assistance of a leading executive search firm, to identify a permanent CEO.

"It's been a privilege to lead Unity for nearly a decade and serve our employees, customers, developers and partners, all of whom have been instrumental to the company's growth," Riccitiello said. "I look forward to supporting Unity through this transition and following the company's future success."