Xbox Legend Major Nelson Announces He's Been Laid Off From Unity

We've spoken about Major Nelson many times here at Pure Xbox — he's known for having been the face of Xbox marketing for over two decades until he left Microsoft in 2023, while also working on tons of other features at Xbox over the years including achievements, Party Chat, cloud saves, in-game messaging and a whole lot more.

Following his departure from Xbox a couple of years ago, Major Nelson (real name Larry Hryb) revealed in early 2024 that he was joining the community team at Unity, specifically as a "director of community and advocacy".

Unfortunately, Hryb has taken to social media today to announce that he's been laid off from Unity, highlighting that he's "proud of the goals my team and I accomplished in just 18 months", but that he's also excited for his next chapter.

Here's a look at his announcement:

He even went on to poke fun at himself with a custom Xbox "achievement unlocked" banner:

The well-wishes have been pouring in from across the industry in the hours since this announcement, with many suggesting that Hryb should return to Xbox, although we're assuming that's not on the cards (as much as we'd love it!).

Whatever happens next, we send our best regards — he'll surely have plenty of offers!

Just for fun, here's a look at a Major Nelson Xbox video from all the way back in 2004: