Summary
- Major Nelson, the long-time face of Xbox Live, surprised fans by posting a picture of himself at Nintendo, sparking speculation about his future plans.
- Gamers theorized that Major Nelson could be switching sides to join Microsoft's console competitor, Nintendo.
- The enthusiastic response to Major Nelson's post shows that gamers want to see more of him, whether it's with Nintendo or elsewhere.
Taking some fans of the long-time face of Xbox Live by surprise, Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb posted a picture online of himself paying a visit to one-time rival Nintendo. A familiar face to gamers worldwide after years of serving as one of the key figures promoting Microsoft’s many forays into the world of console gaming, Major Nelson left Xbox earlier this summer after two decades with the company.
Hryb became well-loved among fans of the Xbox brand over the years thanks to his prominent presence in campaigns promoting the company’s consoles and his consistently upbeat demeanor. From hosting the Major Nelson Podcast when the audio format was still in its infancy to promoting the launch of the Xbox Series X, Hryb became synonymous with the Xbox brand in the minds of many gamers. As the Director of Programming for Xbox Live, Hryb was instrumental in promoting the online service and selling gamers on the idea of digital delivery with the Xbox 360 Store.
In a new post on Twitter, Hryb shared a picture of himself partially hidden behind a guest pass for Nintendo’s campus. Providing no context for the picture, just a mischievous look and the hashtag “JustVisiting,” Hryb’s trip to Nintendo immediately caught the attention of gamers. Since stepping away from Microsoft earlier this year the one-time Xbox Live frontman has remained relatively quiet about his future career plans, leaving gamers to speculate about what’s next for the Xbox icon. Given this silence, Hryb’s surprise visit to former rival Nintendo instantly sparked speculation in the comments that he could be considering a move to the Japanese gaming giant.
Replies to Hryb’s post were filled with gamers theorizing that he was switching sides in the console wars to join up with one of Microsoft’s biggest console competitors. Other responses poked fun at the fact that Nintendo had misspelled his last name, transposing two of the letters on the visitor pass. One reply stated that if former Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime were still around he’d be honored to meet him, leading Hryb to remark that the two had met in the past. Hryb had actually met the iconic Nintendo of America president early in his career at Xbox, even having his Nintendo DS signed by Reggie Fil-Aime at a 2004 event.
It's unclear at this point whether this visit to the company’s headquarters means that Hryb is interested in working on Nintendo’s Switch successor or simply stopping by to see old friends. Either way, it’s clear from the enthusiastic response to his post that gamers want to see more of Major Nelson.