Major Nelson of Xbox fame joins Peri Fractic and his new Commodore International company

So last year was exciting times for all things Commodore and its fans, of which I count myself as one. After decades of infighting and trademark wars (and don’t for one second think that’s over), something positive happened. Popular retro YouTuber Christian Simpson, better known as Peri Fractic, pulled off a major coup by buying the Commodore brand and trademarks and creating a new Commodore International company with the promise of new OG Commodore-faithful hardware to boot.

I say Commodore faithful because there remains an Italian company – Commodore Industries – fighting Simpson’s power play, having obtained some of the brand several years ago and releasing PCs under the name – see here and here for our coverage on how that is going so far.

Commodore remained true to its word and shipped the Commodore 64 Ultimate to great fanfare right before the holidays, and plans continue for further hardware in the future

One of the most endearing things Simpson has managed to do with the new Commodore is bring into the fold names who used to work for the company originally, alongside acting royalty such as Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley)

Now, while old, or indeed famous, faces are no guarantee of future success, the fact that all these guys are involved is testimony to Simpson and his board’s new vision.

The latest face to jump on board is a name most console players from the last decade and beyod should recognise, although not by his actual name Larry Hryb, who has joined the company as Community Development Advisor.

Hyrb, better known as Major Nelson to millions of Xbox gamers was the face of Microsoft’s console for multiple years and brings with him the gravitas of helping build that community.

Simspon said of the appointment, “Through blogs, podcasts, social media, and events, Larry pioneered direct communication with players long before that kind of engagement became standard across the industry. Bringing Larry in to help support continued engagement with the fans that kept Commodore alive while also welcoming a new generation of fans is a natural next step for us in rebooting the brand.”

Hryb, for his part, added, “I’ve always believed the best thing a company can do is partner with its community – and with a passionate fan base carrying the torch for 31 years, Commodore’s situation is truly unique when it comes to community engagement. The community didn’t wait around – instead, they built something remarkable. Players, hardware hobbyists, developers, content creators, and publishers are all a part of the Commodore community, and now we get to build what’s next together.”

Hyrb joins after being laid off from his Community role at Unity in January.