Nineteen months after joining Unity as its director of community and advocacy, Larry Hryb, who spent much of a 20 year career at Microsoft as Xbox hype man Major Nelson, has been laid off.
Hryb shared the news in a message on LinkedIn, writing, “I’ve always been transparent with this community, so I wanted to share that—like a lot of people in tech and gaming right now—I was laid off from Unity.”
Layoffs are all too common in the videogame industry, and that’s as true for engine-maker Unity as it is for anyone: The past few years have seen the company make deep cuts to its workforce, close multiple offices, and alienate its users with a runtime fee that CEO Matthew Bromberg, who took over in May 2024 after the departure of perpetual bad idea machine John Riccitiello, later described as “insane.”
Hryb’s layoff is notable even amidst all that because, as former Bungie general counsel Don McGowan put it, he’s “a fucking icon.” And it’s true: Hryb joined Microsoft in 2001 as editor-in-chief of MSN Music, soon after which he became senior project manager at Xbox. He subsequently launched the Major Nelson Radio podcast, later known as the Official Xbox Podcast, and became a household name among gamers.
Even when he took on the role of senior director of corporate comms at Xbox in 2012, he remained known first and foremost as simply Major Nelson. Phil Spencer became more visible as the cool t-shirt guy who does interviews and stands on convention stages, but on a consistent, week-by-week basis Major Nelson was the voice of Xbox, particularly during the 360 era.
Hryb said he took that same approach with him to Unity. “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,” he wrote. “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.
“Good communication was critical to that work. We told better stories, rebuilt confidence in the brand, and experimented with emerging platforms to meet audiences where they already were. We aligned community engagement directly with product strategy, so creators and players experienced a more cohesive Unity. Making that connection tangible again was meaningful, and I’m proud of what the team accomplished.”
It’s not clear at this point whether Hryb’s layoff is part of deeper cuts at Unity, or if the company merely decided his services are no longer required, but either way it doesn’t look great. I’ve reached out to Unity for more information and will update if I receive a reply.
