Xbox Veteran Larry Hryb Departs Unity

Kotaku reports that gaming executive Larry Hryb, known as Major Nelson, is out at game engine maker Unity, where he served as Director of Community and Advocacy.

Hryb said on LinkedIn that after nearly three decades at Microsoft he joined Unity in 2024 and "rebuilt their Community and Advocacy Team with a deliberate strategy that created a clearer, more connected experience for creators, developers, and gamers." He added that the team "brought energy back to channels that had gone quiet, restored trust, and showed up consistently where it mattered," and that he elevated Unity’s visibility at PAX and other industry events. It is not exactly clear when Hryb was laid off or if the departure is part of a bigger wave of fresh cuts; on BlueSky he said he has been talking with companies about partnerships and "will let you know where I go from here."

Hryb previously spent almost 23 years at Microsoft, where he fostered the Xbox Live community and promoted features including the Achievement system, cloud saves, in-game messaging, and party chat. He left Microsoft in 2023, a move that preceded Xbox’s pivot to being multiplatform, and Unity itself has faced turmoil in recent years, including a 2023 Runtime Fee proposal that was reversed after backlash, the departure of then‑CEO John Riccitiello, large 2024 layoffs of around 1,800 employees (about 25 percent), and the later shutdown of its Behavior team last year.

Key Topics

Tech, Larry Hryb, Unity, Microsoft, Xbox, Runtime Fee