Former Xbox Comms Director Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb Says He's Unlocked a '0G Achievement' as He's Laid Off by Unity

Larry Hryb, amended known to legions of fans arsenic Xbox's erstwhile communications manager Major Nelson, has reported being laid disconnected from his caller relation astatine Unity.

In a station connected Twitter/X, Hryb shared an representation of a zero Gamerscore Xbox accomplishment pop-up, simply titled "Laid Off!" Over connected LinkedIn, meanwhile, Hryb issued a longer station to corroborate his departure from Unity, wherever helium has served arsenic Director of Community and Advocacy since June 2024.

"I've ever been transparent with this community, truthful I wanted to stock that – similar a batch of radical successful tech and gaming close present – I was laid disconnected from Unity," Hryb wrote today.

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Prior to Unity, Hryb recovered fame wrong the satellite of video games portion serving arsenic the communications brag for Xbox — a relation helium held for much than a decade, arsenic portion of a longer tenure astatine Microsoft that stretched to implicit 22 years. Hyrb had helped tally the authoritative Xbox podcast and kept a blog of caller releases, and often appeared connected authoritative Xbox livestreams.

Hryb's clip astatine Microsoft came to extremity successful September 2023, however, erstwhile helium announced helium had "decided to instrumentality a measurement backmost and enactment connected the adjacent section of my career." At the clip of his departure, Microsoft gaming brag Phil Spencer thanked Hryb for "being a friend, and for everything you've done for our Xbox assemblage and team."

Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb. Image credit: LarryHryb.com.

Writing contiguous connected his exit from Unity, Hryb said helium had "rebuilt their Community and Advocacy Team with a deliberate strategy that created a clearer, much connected acquisition for creators, developers, and gamers.

"We brought vigor backmost to channels that had gone quiet, restored trust, and showed up consistently wherever it mattered," helium continued. "I elevated Unity's visibility astatine PAX and cardinal manufacture events, strengthened relationships, and ensured Unity had a wide dependable successful the broader conversation."

Writing successful effect to the news, The Pokémon Company's erstwhile ineligible main Don McGowan called Hryb's occupation nonaccomplishment "completely unacceptable" and stated: "You prosecute a legend, the fable leaves connected his ain presumption if astatine all, and if helium chooses ne'er to permission past THAT’S THE DEAL YOU MADE WITH HISTORY!"

"Well said," replied Jeff Williams, a erstwhile Microsoft workfellow of Hryb's. "My contiguous thought was however poorly it reflected connected Unity but you articulated it overmuch better."

As for what's next, Hryb said helium was "exploring opportunities wherever my acquisition successful assemblage leadership, level strategy, and communications tin thrust maturation astatine the intersection of hardware, software, and services." Lastly, Hryb said that immoderate institution looking to prosecute could interaction him via LarryHryb.com.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social