Unity Technologies

Unity Technologies
Industry Computer software, Interactive entertainment
Headquarters San Francisco[1]
Products Unity game engine
Number of employees
 500+[2]
Website Official website

Unity Technologies is the developer of Unity, one of the most popular licensed 3D game engines. It is used in a variety of 3D and 2D games such as Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, Cities: Skylines and Temple Run.

History

Unity Technologies was founded in 2004 by David Helgason (CEO), Nicholas Francis (CCO), and Joachim Ante (CTO) in Copenhagen, Denmark after their first game, GooBall, failed to gain success. The three recognized the value in engine and tools development and set out to create an engine that any and all could use for an affordable price. Unity Technologies has received funding from the likes of Sequoia Capital, WestSummit Capital, and iGlobe Partners.[3]

The company's focus is to "democratize game development" and make development of 2D and 3D interactive content as accessible as possible to as many people around the world as possible.[3] In 2008, with the rise of the iPhone, Unity was one of the first engine developers to begin supporting the platform in full. According to a Game Developer’s mobile and social technology survey,[4] Unity is now being used by 53.1% of mobile developers, with hundreds of games released on both Android and iOS devices. As of April 2012, Unity reportedly had 1 million, registered developers, 300,000 of which use Unity on a regular monthly basis.[5]

In October 2014, Helgason announced in a blog post that he would be stepping down as CEO with John Riccitiello, EA's former CEO, replacing him. Helgason will remain in the company as Executive Vice President.[6][2]

Reception

In 2012, VentureBeat said, "Few companies have contributed as much to the flowing of independently produced games as Unity Technologies. The maker of a 3D-graphics game development platform, Unity 3D, got its start in Copenhagen, and now it is based in San Francisco. More than 1.3 million developers are using its tools to create gee-whiz graphics in their iOS, Android, console, PC, and web-based games. Nintendo’s new Wii U console will support games built with Unity, as will the upcoming Ouya Android-based game console. The pattern here? Unity wants to be the engine for multiplatform games, period."[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Unity - Fast Facts". Unity Technologies. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Riccitiello, John (October 23, 2014). John Riccitiello sets out to identify the engine of growth for Unity Technologies (interview). VentureBeat. Interview with Dean Takahashi. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Unity Technologies Lands $12 Million in Series B Funding Led by WestSummit Capital and iGlobe Partners".
  4. ↑ "Mobile game developer survey leans heavily toward iOS, Unity". Gamasutra.
  5. ↑ "Unity Technologies marks one million developers for its game development tools". Polygon.
  6. ↑ "John Riccitiello is New Ceo at Unity". IGN. 22 October 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  7. ↑ Helgason, David (November 2, 2012). Game developers, start your Unity 3D engines. GamesBeat. Interview with Dean Takahashi (VentureBeat). Retrieved July 13, 2014.