Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather all the noteworthy personnel moves in one place. If you know of a change at your studio that belongs in this list—new appointment, internal promotion, or exit—please forward the name, new title, new company, and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
Tim Coombs has been named head of brand marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs most recently held the position of director of brand management at Xbox, a role he occupied until July 2026 after joining the console maker in 2020 as senior manager for brand strategy. Prior to his Xbox tenure, he was product marketing manager for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and later advanced to senior product marketing manager and team lead for Amazon Game Tech, a post he held until April 2020. His extensive experience in both console and cloud‑gaming ecosystems makes him a strong fit for steering Luna’s brand presence.
Erik Mogensen has exited Hasbro and its subsidiary Wizards of the Coast after three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming. Before his stint at Hasbro, Mogensen spent 23 years at Games Workshop, culminating in the role of head of business development and consumer‑product licensing. "It’s not lost on me how special it’s been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands," he reflected.
"First Warhammer, and most recently Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers… the list goes on. I’m very much looking forward to my next chapter, whatever and wherever that may be." Ryan Rubin has joined Blizzard Entertainment as a senior producer.
Rubin’s most recent experience was at Netflix, where he served as senior producer on two mobile titles—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset. He also spent five years at Riot Games, contributing to creative development across the League of Legends franchise. Andrey Odintsov has been appointed head of marketing at Battlestate Games. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and currently works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for a range of gaming projects.
Dan Lazarides is the new chief marketing officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides comes from Sega Europe, where he was senior vice president of marketing, and steps into the role after Jo Cooke moved to become Frontier’s CEO in January. Cooke praised the appointment: "We are delighted to welcome Dan to Frontier, who brings a wealth of experience on some of the industry’s largest IPs. His leadership will keep our momentum strong, and his focus on community‑first publishing will ensure we continue to celebrate player creativity." Karen Ionescu has taken the position of digital sales manager at Kalypso Media UK.
Ionescu’s background includes a sales‑manager role at Numskull Games as well as stints at Nintendo and Rising Star Games. Managing director Andrew Johnson commented, "Karen brings a deep commercial network and long‑standing relationships across both retail and digital channels, making her a fantastic addition to the team." Hannah Barrett earned a promotion to senior account executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right. Barrett joined the firm as an account executive in December 2025 and has quickly demonstrated the client‑service acumen that warranted the step up. Supercell announced the hiring of Anni Pyy as contract manager.
Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, overseeing legal and partnership agreements for the studio’s portfolio of mobile titles. Nathan Solbrandt has been named senior vice president of business development at fintech platform ZBD. Solbrandt’s résumé includes senior account executive work at Motorica and a vice‑presidential role in business development for the Americas at Xsolla. Olivia Lee is now internal events producer at Riot Games, having previously served as associate producer for internal events and programs across the company’s global studios.
Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as an account coordinator after working as account performance manager at Playback Rewards, where she helped optimize revenue streams for indie developers. Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as vice president of communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009 as director of publications, later becoming associate VP of communications.
She left in 2019 for Electronic Arts, where she headed product and studio integrated communications. "I’m looking forward to partnering with the talented people across Bethesda and Xbox, supporting the teams behind some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment, and helping bring their creativity and vision to players around the world," Thompson said. Maddie Richter has been appointed social media marketing manager at Nintendo of America.
Prior to Nintendo, Richter managed social media for Alaska Airlines, where she honed expertise in community engagement and brand storytelling. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a narrative designer.
Duffield previously served as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment, crafting story arcs and character dialogue for several mid‑tier titles. Yogscast Games, the UK‑based publisher, announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis, Robin Mawhinney, and Charlotte Pang. Willis becomes PR and influencer manager after working as creator and community director at Diva Agency.
Mawhinney takes on the role of production coordinator, bringing experience as a junior producer at Atelier 11. Pang joins as publishing coordinator; her background spans production, animation, and art for Team Gramps and Queensguard, plus teaching game design, animation, and coding at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone. Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger have been added to Roblox’s Foundation AI team to support the mobile‑first AI creation tool Build in New Zealand. The duo co‑founded Jars AI in 2023, an interactive AI platform that raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors.
Holm explained, "At Jars AI we saw hundreds of thousands of creators use AI to shape weird new worlds and stories, and we’re excited to keep pushing the boundaries of AI entertainment in our new roles." Sathvik Sudireddy is now marketing manager for live services at Rockstar Games. Sudireddy previously worked as product manager on Call of Duty at Activision after completing an internship in business development at the same studio.
Joe Chard has been appointed lead product manager at Netflix Games. Chard’s prior experience includes six years as vice president, studio general manager, and head of product at Jam City, as well as senior roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros.
Entertainment. These appointments, departures, and promotions illustrate the fluid nature of talent movement within the gaming industry, highlighting how experience across platforms, genres, and even adjacent sectors such as fintech and AI continues to shape the next wave of interactive entertainment.