Video game software development company Unity Software Inc (NYSE:U) has hired Matthew Bromberg as its president and CEO, in a move that Wedbush analysts said “proudly displays (Unity’s) gaming DNA”.
Prior to this appointment, Bromberg served as a senior advisor at Blackstone and held board positions at Bumble, Monzo, and Blast.
But he was also chief operating officer at Zynga, the Words with Friends creator that sold to Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two in 2022, from 2016 to 2021.
Bromberg also held leadership roles at Electronic Arts and acted as group general manager for Mass Effect developer BioWare’s worldwide studios.
Unity’s reputation recently took a hit over the ‘runtime fee’ controversy which significantly increased independent game developers’ licensing fees for using the Unity engine.
The backlash from the community was swift and significant, with many developers expressing their disappointment and concern over how the new fees unfairly impacted indie developers.
Unity u-turned on the policy in 2023 and offered an apology to the community.
Though the runtime fee controversy was not specifically mentioned, former Unity boss John Riccitiello left the group in the wake of the controversy.
“The appointment of Mr. Bromberg sends a clear message to Unity’s employees, customers, and investors that the company remains committed to its gaming roots despite its growing success within non-gaming industries and its high-profile acquisition of ironSource, an advertising technology company, in 2022,” said Wedbush of the hire.
“Although Mr. Bromberg lacks public company CEO experience, he is highly regarded and well-respected within the gaming community, and we believe he will position Unity to regain its growth trajectory in his new role.”
Unity will report its first-quarter results on 9 May.