Xbox Live Visionary Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb Joins Gamerplug Board of Advisors to Help Connect a Billion Gamers

Xbox Live veteran Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb joins Gamerplug's board to scale user growth, champion safety, and help us connect a billion gamers worldwide.

AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, July 16, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Gamerplug, the platform dedicated to fostering meaningful relationships for gamers worldwide, today announced that gaming industry veteran Larry Hryb has joined its Board of Advisors. Hryb brings three decades of platform, community, and product experience to the rapidly growing startup, aligning perfectly with Gamerplug’s mission to connect a billion gamers.

Hryb spent over 25 years at Microsoft. Most of that tenure was spent as Director of Programming for Xbox Live and Senior Director of Communications for Xbox, where he became known to millions of players globally as "Major Nelson". During his time at Microsoft, he helped build Xbox Live from the ground up, launched 3 console platforms, Kinect, and countless games. Larry also launched one of Microsoft’s first podcasts in 2005. As part of extensive product work, helped build Xbox Achievements and other platform-defining features that led the team to win an Emmy Award. Since his departure from Microsoft, Hryb has led community and advocacy work at Unity through its 2023 pricing crisis.

Gamerplug is redefining how gamers connect by stripping away the friction and noise of traditional platforms. The platform launched with a swipe-based system using gaming clips instead of profile pictures. This ensures authentic representation and skill-matching before a single game is played. Crucially, Gamerplug requires all users to be authenticated in a zero-bot environment where safety and integrity are the foundation of the community.
"Trust. It’s everything to us," said Stephanos, CEO of Gamerplug. "We connect humans, and to do that to scale to over a billion gamers, you need leaders who understand community better than anyone else on the planet. Larry literally helped write the playbook for online gaming communities. Having his strategic vision on our board is an absolute game-changer for our user acquisition and product roadmap. We are beyond wildly jazzed to get to work."

For the platform’s foundational creators, Hryb’s arrival bridges a lifelong appreciation for online ecosystems with the very spark that built Gamerplug.

"As someone who has poured over 70,000 hours into gaming and has been top-ranked in games like Apex Legends, Halo, Gears of War, and Call of Duty
I lived through the golden age of online multiplayer that Larry helped build," said Philip Hunter Klehm, Chief Visionary Officer of Gamerplug. "What he created with Xbox Live wasn't just infrastructure; it was a blueprint for how digital spaces can bring people together. His work was deeply inspirational in the formation of Gamerplug. We set out to recapture that pure magic of finding your true community, and having the man who inspired that vision right here beside us to build its next chapter is profoundly surreal."

Hryb joins the advisory board to help the Gamerplug team scale user growth, sharpen its product strategy, and open critical doors across the gaming industry. His expertise will be instrumental as Gamerplug prepares to roll out major platform expansions, including native "Looking for Groups" (LFG) scheduling and tournament hosting, enabling gamers to create and schedule tournaments for free or with a prize pool.

“Finding your team and building real friendships has always been the most powerful part of the medium,” said Larry Hryb. “Gamerplug’s commitment to an authenticated, clip-driven ecosystem is exactly the kind of innovation the space needs right now. I’m thrilled to join the board and help this incredibly passionate team scale their vision to foster meaningful relationships for gamers everywhere.”

Currently, Hryb also advises Commodore International Corporation and Midwest Games. He serves as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Microsoft Alumni Network and is actively helping Xbox plan its highly anticipated 25th-anniversary celebration.

For more information about Gamerplug and to join the community, download the app today.

About Gamerplug
Founded in September 2025, Gamerplug is an AI-enabled platform for gamers to connect and find their ideal squad. Prioritizing safety and authenticity, Gamerplug eliminates bots and fake profiles, providing a frictionless environment for gamers to build their ultimate community.

Stephanos
Gamerplug
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