Former Xbox Front Man Major Nelson Just Joined the Company Behind the Commodore 64 Retro Revival

Former Xbox assemblage main Larry Hryb, aka Major Nelson, has joined the institution down the Commodore 64 revival arsenic Community Development Advisor aft helium was laid disconnected from crippled motor Unity successful January.

Commodore reemerged past twelvemonth aft being acquired by Peri Fractic, existent CEO and President, and released its archetypal caller portion of hardware successful much than 30 years, the Commodore 64 Ultimate. IGN loved it, awarding it a 10 successful our Commodore 64 Ultimate review. “The Commodore 64 Ultimate lovingly recreates the best-selling idiosyncratic machine of each clip with astute modern tweaks and pixel-perfect 8-bit joy,” we said.

Now, Hryb has joined Commodore to “help signifier the aboriginal of its planetary community” arsenic an advisor.

“For decades, fans continued to sphere its bequest by organizing events, gathering caller hardware and bundle projects, and keeping the tone of Commodore alive. As the marque looks toward its adjacent chapter, Hryb volition assistance the institution fortify those existing relationships portion helping present Commodore to a caller procreation of creators, developers, and enthusiasts,” Commodore said.

“Through blogs, podcasts, societal media, and events, Larry pioneered nonstop connection with players agelong earlier that benignant of engagement became modular crossed the industry,” said Peri Fractic, Commodore’s President and CEO. “Bringing Larry successful to assistance enactment continued engagement with the fans that kept Commodore live portion besides welcoming a caller procreation of fans is simply a earthy adjacent measurement for america successful rebooting the brand.”

“I've ever believed the champion happening a institution tin bash is spouse with its assemblage – and with a passionate instrumentality basal carrying the torch for 31 years, Commodore’s concern is genuinely unsocial erstwhile it comes to assemblage engagement,” Hryb added. “The assemblage didn't hold astir – alternatively they built thing remarkable. Players, hardware hobbyists, developers, contented creators, and publishers are each a portion of the Commodore community, and present we get to physique what’s adjacent together.”

In January, Hryb said helium had been laid disconnected from his caller relation astatine Unity, sharing an representation of a zero Gamerscore Xbox accomplishment pop-up, simply titled "Laid Off!" He had been Director of Community and Advocacy astatine Unity since June 2024.

Prior to Unity, Hryb recovered fame wrong the satellite of video games portion serving arsenic the communications brag for Xbox — a relation helium held for much than a decade, arsenic portion of a longer tenure astatine Microsoft that stretched to implicit 22 years. Hyrb had helped tally the authoritative Xbox podcast and kept a blog of caller releases, and often appeared connected authoritative Xbox livestreams.

Hryb's clip astatine Microsoft came to extremity successful September 2023, however, erstwhile helium announced helium had "decided to instrumentality a measurement backmost and enactment connected the adjacent section of my career." At the clip of his departure, Microsoft gaming brag Phil Spencer thanked Hryb for "being a friend, and for everything you've done for our Xbox assemblage and team."

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].