Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. To make it easier for industry watchers, we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves.
If you know of a change that belongs in this list—whether it’s a new appointment, a promotion, or an exit—please forward the relevant details (name, new role, new company, previous role and company) to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Tim Coombs has been named the head of brand marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs brings a wealth of experience from his previous stint at Microsoft’s Xbox division, where he served as director of brand management until July 2026 after joining the console maker in 2020 as senior manager for brand strategy. Earlier in his career, he helped launch Amazon’s Lumberyard engine in 2017 as product marketing manager, then progressed to senior product marketing manager and team lead for Amazon Game Tech, a role he held until April 2020. His deep understanding of both console and cloud‑gaming ecosystems positions him well to steer Luna’s brand narrative as the service continues to expand its library and global reach.
Erik Mogensen has exited Hasbro and its subsidiary Wizards of the Coast after three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming. Prior to his tenure at Hasbro, Mogensen spent 23 years at Games Workshop, culminating in the role of head of business development and consumer‑product licensing.
Reflecting on his time with some of his favorite brands, he said, “It’s not lost on me how special it’s been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands. 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 joins Blizzard Entertainment as a senior producer. Rubin’s most recent experience was at Netflix, where he oversaw production on two mobile titles—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset.
Before that, he spent five years at Riot Games, contributing to creative development across the League of Legends franchise. His background in both live‑service and narrative‑driven mobile experiences should complement Blizzard’s ongoing efforts to diversify its portfolio beyond its core PC and console franchises. Andrey Odintsov has been appointed head of marketing at Battlestate Games. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition for Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various gaming projects.
His expertise in data‑driven acquisition strategies is expected to boost Battlestate’s visibility for titles such as Escape from Tarkov. Dan Lazarides steps into the role of chief marketing officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides arrives from Sega Europe, where he served as senior vice president of marketing, and succeeds Jo Cooke, who moved into the CEO position in January.
Cooke praised the appointment, stating, “We are delighted to welcome Dan to Frontier, who brings a wealth of experience on some of the industry’s largest IPs. His leadership in this genre will continue Frontier’s upward momentum, and his appointment to the role of CMO highlights our focus on our communities. Dan will be at the heart of our player‑first strategy, ensuring our publishing team champions player creativity and celebrates the way they play our games.” Cooke added, “This strategy is paramount to our position as a genre‑leading creative management simulation studio and ensures that we continue to create incredible games.” Karen Ionescu has taken the position of digital sales manager at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu’s résumé includes a sales‑manager role at Numskull Games as well as stints at Nintendo and Rising Star Games.
Managing director Andrew Johnson commented, “We’re delighted to welcome Karen to Kalypso Media UK. She brings a wealth of commercial experience and long‑standing relationships across both retail and digital sales 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 originally joined the firm as an account executive in December 2025 and has quickly demonstrated the client‑service acumen that warranted her advancement.
Supercell named Anni Pyy as contract manager. Pyy’s prior experience includes four years as contract manager at Metacore, where she oversaw licensing agreements and partnership negotiations for mobile titles. Nathan Solbrandt has been installed as senior vice president of business development at fintech platform ZBD.
Solbrandt previously worked as a senior account executive at Motorica and served as vice president of business development for the Americas at Xsolla, giving him a solid foundation in both gaming finance and broader fintech ecosystems. Olivia Lee joins Riot Games as internal events producer. Lee’s earlier role at Riot was associate producer for internal events and programs, where she coordinated employee‑focused initiatives and community‑building activities. Ciarah Pritchard has taken on the role of account coordinator at Xsolla, after serving as account performance manager at Playback Rewards, where she helped optimize publisher‑partner relationships.
Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as vice president of communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009 as director of publications, later becoming associate vice president of communications. She left in 2019 for Electronic Arts, where she led product and studio integrated communications. Upon her return, she remarked, “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.” Maddie Richter has been appointed social media marketing manager at Nintendo of America.
Before joining Nintendo, Richter managed social media for Alaska Airlines, where she honed skills in audience engagement and brand storytelling. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a narrative designer. Duffield previously held the senior narrative designer title at Series Entertainment, contributing to story architecture and character development for multiple indie projects.
Yogscast Games, a UK‑based publisher, announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis, Robin Mawhinney, and Charlotte Pang. Willis becomes the PR and influencer manager after serving as creator and community director at Diva Agency.
Mawhinney joins as production coordinator, bringing experience as a junior producer at Atelier 11. Pang steps in as publishing coordinator; her background includes roles as producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, as well as 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 platform’s mobile‑first AI creation tool, Build, in New Zealand.
The duo co‑founded the AI interactive platform Jars AI in 2023, securing $3.5 million in funding 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 joins Rockstar Games as marketing manager for live services.
Sudireddy previously worked as a product manager on Call of Duty at Activision, after completing an internship in business development at the same developer. Joe Chard has been appointed lead product manager at Netflix Games.
Chard’s prior experience includes a six‑year tenure 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 movements illustrate the dynamic nature of talent flow within the gaming sector, where seasoned veterans and emerging leaders alike continue to shape the future of interactive entertainment.