Unity appoints ex-Zynga exec Matthew Bromberg as CEO

Game engine maker Unity has appointed Matthew Bromberg, former COO of Zynga, as its new CEO, president and board member.

Filling a role that has been temporarily filled by former Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst, Bromberg will formally join Unity as CEO on May 15. Whitehurst will serve as executive chair of the Unity board, and Roelof Botha will transition from chairman to lead independent board member.

Bromberg fills a slot vacated by John Riccitiello, who resigned last fall after a pricing debacle that left game developers extremely angry at Unity. They calmed down after Unity walked back major parts of the price increase. It’s an important time for Unity as it is about to ship Unity 6, the latest version of its game engine, in competition with Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5.4.

“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Matt Bromberg as Unity’s new CEO. The Board and the entire leadership team are confident that Matt’s proven leadership, customer-first mindset, and deep understanding of the dynamic gaming industry make him the right executive to lead Unity forward,” said Roelof Botha, in a statement. “I also want to thank Jim Whitehurst for leading Unity through its portfolio reset and cost structure rightsizing to focus on its core businesses and help position the Company for long-term success.”

“It’s been a true honor to serve as Unity’s interim Chief Executive Officer and get to know its passionate employees, community, customers, and partners,” said Whitehurst, in a statement. “I’m looking forward to working closely with Matt to support the Company’s continued commitment to creator success and innovation.”

Whitehurst will also return to Silver Lake, one of Unity’s two largest shareholders, where he had previously been a senior advisor and will now join as a managing director leading both operating and investment team initiatives.

Bromberg brings over 20 years of experience across the gaming industry, having previously served as Chief Operating Officer of leading mobile game developer and publisher Zynga, where he played a key role in the company’s turnaround, and was responsible for Zynga’s game studios globally, while also overseeing product development and design, technology, data, and analytics.

Bromberg also held multiple leadership roles at Electronic Arts, where he helped scale the company’s mobile division and led teams on four continents that built popular games across all major genres.

“I am thrilled to join Unity as it embraces its next chapter,” said Bromberg, in a statement. “I look forward to working with Jim, the Board, and the incredible people of Unity to provide the best integrated platform for creators to bring great games and experiences to their audiences globally while also helping accelerate the Company’s revenue growth and profitability.”

Unity will release first quarter 2024 financial results after the market close on May 9, 2024.

Bromberg is currently a senior advisor to Blackstone, a global alternative asset manager. He also sits on the board of directors of Bumble, where he has been a member of the audit committee; Monzo, a privately held, U.K.-chartered bank; and Blast, a privately held esports company.

From 2018 to 2021, he was on the board of directors of Fitbit, where he was a member of both the compensation and nominating and governance committees. Between August 2016 to November 2021, Bromberg served as COO at Zynga.

Prior to Zynga, he held various leadership roles at Electronic Arts including Senior Vice President of Strategy and Operations of the company’s mobile division and Group General Manager for all BioWare studios worldwide. Earlier in his career, he pioneered the esports revolution as the President and CEO of Major League Gaming. Mr. Bromberg holds a B.A. in English from Cornell University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.