Xbox’s ‘Major Nelson’ Larry Hryb is leaving Microsoft

Larry Hryb, better known in Xbox circles as “Major Nelson”, Tweeted Today he is leaving Microsoft. Hrib spent several years as Xbox Live’s director of programming, one of the brand’s most prominent public faces. He didn’t reveal his reasons for leaving the company but said he plans to step back and work on the next chapter of his career. The move comes as Microsoft tries to close its $68 billion purchase of Activision. “As I take a moment and think about all the things we’ve done together, I want to thank the millions of gamers around the world who have made me a part of their lives,” Hryb said.

Hrib spent more than two decades with Microsoft, joining the company in 2001 as editor-in-chief of MSN Music. But in 2003, when he joined the Xbox division, he found his identity with the company. His public role was a combination of official employee and super fan. His blog posts, podcasts, interviews, unboxings and other various updates straddle the line between a marketing executive and a trusted “gamer’s gamer”, helping fans feel like they have a part of their own inside the gaming giant. Is.

Xbox had used him less as the face of the company in recent years, but from at least the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s, “Major Nelson” was practically synonymous with the platform. He says he got his gamer handle—and public nickname—from Larry Hagman’s character on the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie — when his TiVo recommended it.

Hreeb is yet to reveal what the next chapter of his career is. However, he did note that the Official Xbox Podcast, which he hosted, would be shutting down this summer and would return later “in a new format”.