LogIn"I have decided to take a step back and work on the next chapter of my career."
Larry Hryb, also known by his Xbox Live Gamertag "Major Nelson", has recently issued a brief statement revealing his choice to depart from Microsoft after an extensive tenure of over two decades as a vital figure within the company and the public face of Xbox.
For those unaware, Major Nelson joined Microsoft in the early months of 2001, initially assuming the role of editor-in-chief for MSN music. In 2003, Hryb transitioned into the Xbox division of Microsoft, where he played a crucial role in the advancement of notable projects such as the Xbox One, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, Kinect, and the 'New Xbox Experience'. Furthermore, he gained widespread recognition for hosting Microsoft's Official Xbox Podcast and regularly sharing news from the Xbox team via Twitter.
In his statement, Hryb expressed his decision to step back and embark on the next phase of his career, extending gratitude to gamers for embracing him as a part of their lives and acknowledging the Xbox team members for their trust in allowing him to engage directly with the customers.
"After 20 incredible years, I have decided to take a step back and work on the next chapter of my career," reads the statement. "As I take a moment and think about all we have done together, I want to thank the millions of gamers around the world who have included me as part of their lives. Also, thanks to Xbox team members for trusting me to have a direct dialogue with our customers. The future is bright for Xbox and as a gamer, I am excited to see the evolution. Thank and I'll see you online"
Hryb further discussed the future of the Official Xbox Podcast, mentioning that it will be going on a temporary break during the summer and will return in a refreshed format.
Following this announcement, numerous individuals and organizations took to Twitter to express their heartfelt gratitude towards Hryb, including the official account for Game Development at Microsoft, the official Xbox account, Geoff Keighley, Phil Spencer, and many others:
And even PlayStation:
You can access the full Twitter thread here. Also, don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Threads, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.