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Larry Hryb, more popularly known within the community as Major Nelson, has announced that he will be stepping down from his position at Xbox after more than 20 years of service.
Hryb announced his decision through Twitter wherein he said: “After 20 incredible years, I have decided to take a step back and work on the next chapter of my career. 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,” he continued.
He further revealed that “the official Xbox Podcast will be taking a hiatus this summer and will come back in a new format.” At the time of writing, the reason for his departure remains unclear, but it does seem as if this will serve as a much-needed extended vacation since he does mention in a later post that he “never really took time off.”
Community reactions toward Major Nelson’s announcement were largely sentimental as a number of comments below Hryb’s thread simply congratulated him on his decision while others thanked him for being a part of their lives. Based on most, if not all, of the comments, the impact that he had towards the Xbox fan base and the gaming community as whole will surely not be forgotten any time soon.
Needless to say, Major Nelson’s choice to step down comes as a big blow to the Microsoft gaming community mere days after Xbox won their case against the FTC. However, those that supported the tech giant’s purchase of Activision Blizzard from the very beginning will undoubtedly still be celebrating the favorable court decision – after a few days of mourning Hryb’s departure, that is.
