That timing isn’t coincidental, with the Reuters report saying that AppLovin hired advisors to work out an offer after news of the ironSource deal became public. Unity intend to buy ironSource for $4.4 billion in an all-stock deal, although that deal would need to be cancelled if they want to instead merge with AppLovin. The proposed ironSource deal did not go over well with many game developers who use Unity. That’s in part because ironSource are best known for developing a malware installer in 2015. It’s also partly because Unity CEO John Riccitiello did an interview where he said that if developers don’t consider monetisation during their creative process, they’re a “fucking idiot.” In the proposed deal, John Riccitiello would remain CEO of the combined business, while AppLovin CEO Adam Foroughi would become chief operaing officer. Unity is best known on this website for powering indie hits including Hollow Knight, Cuphead, Untitled Goose Game and, honestly, almost every other indie hit. It’s better known elsewhere for also being used by major publishers like EA and Activision and for powering mobile hits such as Pokémon Go.
