Unity pulls out the big guns, appointing 'Major Nelson' Larry Hryb to new Director of Community role

• The new job is basically the same role that Hryb filled for 22 years at Microsoft
• “Today marks a new chapter in my journey, one that fills me with immense excitement and gratitude"

The man formerly known in Xbox circles by his gamertag of Major Nelson has stepped out of a year-long retirement having left the company to - potentially - front-up his biggest challenge yet - as the public face of the Unity development platform in a new Director of Community role.

The job is basically the same role that Hryb filled for 22 years at Microsoft, becoming senior director of corporate communications for the last 11 and seen by many as the happy, smiling, though distinctly corporate face of the company's gaming efforts during that time.

And just as Hryb guided Microsoft from love–to-hate, will-to-live-sapping MS Office behemoth (and lame games console wannabe) to benevolent big friendly giant, it would appear that Unity will be requiring the same magic to rewrite the recent flip-reverse nightmare of their own making.

Tough gig…

“Today marks a new chapter in my journey, one that fills me with immense excitement and gratitude. I'm thrilled to announce that starting today, I am joining the Community team at Unity,” Hryb wrote on LinkedIn. 

“This move is more than a career shift - it's a leap into a realm where creativity and technology converge to shape the future of real-time content and experiences. Reflecting on my time at Xbox, I feel a deep sense of pride for what we achieved together. From the early days of MSN Music to the groundbreaking developments on Xbox Live, each step has been about breaking barriers and fostering community. It’s been about empowering developers and players to connect in ways that were once unimaginable. 

“At Unity, I see a horizon brimming with potential. Unity's mission of empowering creative and business success of creators around the world across games, apps, and experiences aligns with my lifelong passion for innovation and community building. I am eager to collaborate with the talented developers and creators who use Unity's tools to bring their visions to life. Together, we'll continue to transform the way stories are told and experiences are shared. I step into this new role with a heart full of memories and a spirit charged by the possibilities ahead.

“To all the developers I've worked with: your ingenuity has been my inspiration. To the community that has supported me: your enthusiasm has been my driving force.”

On message (all the time)

It’s all textbook, vote-winning stuff, coming from the mind of an expert well seasoned in saying the right thing to front-facing users for a company that’s firmly on the back foot.

The move comes as part of Unity’s ongoing shapeshifting and market repositioning following last year's disastrous attempts to turn a profit and restructure the ways in which they got paid by developers making millions from their platform. Their so-called Runtime Fee, requiring companies to pay Unity per install in a wide range of circumstances proved unpopular across the board and, after only revising the plans rather than scrapping them the company has been fighting to regain favour from a once loyal community of developers.

Following the offing of CEO, John Riccitiello, the temporary stewardship of Jim Whitehurst, the departure of popular chief product and technology officer Marc Whitten,  and the appointment of new broom and subsequent tidy up by new CEO Matthew Bromberg, it seems that Unity’s shuffling wasn’t quite done. And only this morning Unity design architect Will Goldstone took to X (formerly Twitter) to spell out the "undoing of the missteps" made so far

It’s clear that Hryb has been brought on to give the process of winning back hearts and minds some extra gravitas and he certainly has the talents to turn Unity’s public perception ship around before tucking it’s worries under the corporate carpet.

It's hard to imagine a better man for the job.