Former Xbox community chief Larry Hryb, aka Major Nelson, has joined the company behind the Commodore 64 revival as Community Development Advisor after he was laid off from game engine Unity in January.
Commodore reemerged last year after being acquired by Peri Fractic, current CEO and President, and released its first new piece of hardware in more than 30 years, the Commodore 64 Ultimate. IGN loved it, awarding it a 10 in our Commodore 64 Ultimate review. “The Commodore 64 Ultimate lovingly recreates the best-selling personal computer of all time with smart modern tweaks and pixel-perfect 8-bit joy,” we said.
Now, Hryb has joined Commodore to “help shape the future of its global community” as an advisor.
“For decades, fans continued to preserve its legacy by organizing events, building new hardware and software projects, and keeping the spirit of Commodore alive. As the brand looks toward its next chapter, Hryb will help the company strengthen those existing relationships while helping introduce Commodore to a new generation of creators, developers, and enthusiasts,” Commodore said.
“Through blogs, podcasts, social media, and events, Larry pioneered direct communication with players long before that kind of engagement became standard across the industry,” said Peri Fractic, Commodore’s President and CEO. “Bringing Larry in to help support continued engagement with the fans that kept Commodore alive while also welcoming a new generation of fans is a natural next step for us in rebooting the brand.”
“I’ve always believed the best thing a company can do is partner with its community – and with a passionate fan base carrying the torch for 31 years, Commodore’s situation is truly unique when it comes to community engagement,” Hryb added. “The community didn’t wait around – instead they built something remarkable. Players, hardware hobbyists, developers, content creators, and publishers are all a part of the Commodore community, and now we get to build what’s next together.”
In January, Hryb said he had been laid off from his new role at Unity, sharing an image of a zero Gamerscore Xbox achievement pop-up, simply titled “Laid Off!” He had been Director of Community and Advocacy at Unity since June 2024.
Prior to Unity, Hryb found fame within the world of video games while serving as the communications boss for Xbox — a role he held for more than a decade, as part of a longer tenure at Microsoft that stretched to over 22 years. Hyrb had helped run the official Xbox podcast and kept a blog of new releases, and frequently appeared on official Xbox livestreams.
Hryb’s time at Microsoft came to end in September 2023, however, when he announced he had “decided to take a step back and work on the next chapter of my career.” At the time of his departure, Microsoft gaming boss Phil Spencer thanked Hryb for “being a friend, and for everything you’ve done for our Xbox community and team.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
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