Microsoft alum Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb joins Unity as community director

Nearly a full year after leaving Xbox, Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has found a new position at Unity.

As he revealed on social media, Hryb will serve as director of the engine maker's community team. "Building on my long history as a developer advocate at Xbox," he wrote, "I'm excited to collaborate again with developers, harnessing our collective creativity to shape the future of real-time gaming and experiences."

During his 20-year Xbox tenure, Hryb served as a senior programming director and help guided Xbox Live's evolution on both the Xbox 360 and Xbox One, and the development of Kinect peripherals.

He was also one of the console brand's biggest faces, which puts some extra weight behind his new Unity job. As he called it on LinkedIn, this isn't so much a career shift as it a "leap into a realm where creativity and technology converge."

"At Unity, I see a horizon brimming with potential," Hryb continued. "I am eager to collaborate with the talented developers and creators who use Unity's tools to bring their visions to life.. [...] Here's to the next adventure—let's build the future together."

The new job caught the attention of former coworker and current Xbox head Phil Spencer, who commended Spencer for "continuing your tradition of helping developers and the industry."