Larry Hryb—better known to gamers as Major Nelson—has reportedly been laid off from Unity amid the company’s ongoing workforce reductions.
Hryb spent roughly two decades as one of Xbox’s most recognizable public faces. He built his reputation during the Xbox 360 era as a community ambassador who actually talked to players. His Major Nelson blog became a weekly destination for Xbox news, game charts, and platform updates.
He was one of the first corporate gaming personalities to embrace social media when Twitter was still being called a “micro-blogging site.” Players remember him for accepting friend requests, showing up in multiplayer matches, and genuinely engaging with the community rather than just pushing marketing messages.
Hryb left Microsoft in 2022 after more than 20 years with the company. He joined Unity shortly after, though his role there remained far less visible than his Xbox tenure. His LinkedIn profile shows minimal public detail about what he worked on at the engine company.
Unity has slashed its workforce repeatedly over the past two years. The company cut 8% of staff in mid-2023, then announced a massive 25% reduction in early 2024. These cuts have affected thousands of employees as Unity restructures and attempts to control costs.
The games industry has seen relentless layoffs across publishers, platform holders, and tech companies. Unity’s cuts fit into a brutal pattern that has eliminated tens of thousands of jobs since 2023.
