Xbox Legend Major Nelson Is Unity’s Latest Layoff

Gaming executive Larry Hyrb, aka Major Nelson, has revealed this week that he’s out at the game engine maker Unity. The Xbox veteran joined as Director of Community and Advocacy only a couple of years ago.

“After nearly three decades of making an impact at Microsoft, I joined Unity in 2024. During my time there, I rebuilt their Community and Advocacy Team with a deliberate strategy that created a clearer, more connected experience for creators, developers, and gamers,” Hyrb explained on LinkedIn. 

Hyrb continued: “We brought energy back to channels that had gone quiet, restored trust, and showed up consistently where it mattered. I elevated Unity’s visibility at PAX and key industry events, strengthened relationships, and ensured Unity had a clear voice in the broader conversation.”

It’s not exactly clear when Hyrb was laid off or if the departure is part of a bigger wave of fresh cuts at the software company. “I’ve had invigorating conversations over the past weeks with companies in tech and non-tech spaces to discuss partnerships,” he said on BlueSky. “I love what I do but I also believe change is necessary. I’ll let you know where I go from here.”

Major Nelson was previously an important public figure within the Xbox community. He spent almost 23 years at Microsoft, fostering the Xbox Live community and promoting the Xbox 360’s user-facing features, including the Achievement system, cloud saves, in-game messaging, and party chat.

He left Microsoft back in 2023, a move that preceded Xbox’s pivot to being multiplatform and a broader marketing strategy that didn’t have a single piece of hardware at its center. The brand hasn’t been as public facing, let alone as community-first, since Hyrb’s departure.  

Unity has had a rough several years. In 2023, Unity announced that it would install a new Runtime Fee, but was eventually reversed due to immense backlash from developers. A few months later, then CEO John Riccitiello stepped down. In 2024, Unity laid off a massive chunk of its workforce, eliminating around 1,800, or 25%, of its employees. Last year, Unity then laid off its Behavior team.