Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather all the notable moves in one place.
If your organization has recent staffing changes that belong in this list, please email the name of the employee, the new title and company, and the previous role and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Tim Coombs has been named head of brand marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs spent the previous several years at Microsoft’s Xbox division, where he rose to director of brand management before leaving in July 2026. He originally joined Xbox in 2020 as a senior manager for brand strategy, after a stint at Amazon’s own gaming technology teams.
From 2017 to 2020 he worked on Amazon Lumberyard, first as product marketing manager and later as senior product marketing manager and team lead for Amazon Game Tech. His breadth of experience across cloud‑based game engines, console branding, and streaming platforms makes him a natural fit to steer Luna’s brand presence.
After three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming at Hasbro and its subsidiary Wizards of the Coast, Erik Mogensen has departed the company. Mogensen’s career began at Games Workshop, where he spent 23 years and ultimately oversaw business development and consumer‑product licensing.
In his own words, “It’s not lost on me how special it’s been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands—first Warhammer, then Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers… the list goes on. I’m very much looking forward to my next chapter, wherever that may be.” Blizzard Entertainment has added Ryan Rubin to its senior‑producer roster. Rubin’s most recent work was at Netflix, where he helped ship two mobile titles: *Squid Game: Unleashed* and *Selling Sunset*. Prior to that he spent five years at Riot Games, contributing to creative development across the League of Legends franchise.
His background in both live‑service titles and narrative‑driven mobile experiences should bolster Blizzard’s expanding portfolio. Andrey Odintsov is the new head of marketing at Battlestate Games. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for a variety of titles.
His expertise in performance marketing and data‑driven user‑growth strategies will be valuable as Battlestate continues to expand its multiplayer offerings. Dan Lazarides has taken the helm as chief marketing officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides arrives from Sega Europe, where he served as senior vice‑president of marketing.
He succeeds Jo Cooke, who moved into the CEO role at Frontier in January. Cooke praised Lazarides, saying, “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 keep our momentum upward, and his appointment underscores our focus on community‑first thinking. Dan will be at the heart of our player‑first strategy, ensuring our publishing team champions player creativity and celebrates the way they engage with our games.” Karen Ionescu joins Kalypso Media UK as digital sales manager. Ionescu’s résumé includes a sales‑manager role at Numskull Games as well as stints at Nintendo and Rising Star Games, giving her a deep understanding of both retail and digital distribution channels. 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, making her a fantastic addition to the team.” At esports‑focused agency Swipe Right, Hannah Barrett has been promoted to senior account executive after joining the firm as an account executive in December 2025. Her rapid advancement reflects the agency’s growth in the competitive‑gaming communications space. Supercell announced the hiring of Anni Pyy as contract manager. Pyy previously spent four years handling contracts at Metacore, where she oversaw licensing and partnership agreements for a portfolio of mobile games.
Fintech platform ZBD welcomed Nathan Solbrandt as senior‑vice‑president of business development. Solbrandt’s prior experience includes a senior account‑executive role at Motorica and a vice‑president position overseeing Americas‑region business development at Xsolla.
Riot Games added Olivia Lee as internal events producer. Lee’s earlier role was associate producer for internal events and programs, where she coordinated employee‑focused activities and community‑building initiatives.
Xsolla appointed Ciarah Pritchard as account coordinator. Pritchard came from Playback Rewards, where she worked as an account‑performance manager, handling client metrics and optimization.
After a decade‑plus tenure at Bethesda, Tracey Thompson is returning 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 led product and studio‑integrated communications.
Upon her return she said, “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.” Nintendo of America announced Maddie Richter as its new social‑media marketing manager. Richter previously oversaw social channels for Alaska Airlines, bringing expertise in community engagement and content strategy to the gaming giant. Narrative designer Dana Duffield has joined Yotta Games. Duffield’s most recent position was senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment, where she crafted story arcs for several indie titles.
The UK publisher Yogscast Games revealed a trio of new hires: Charlotte Willis, Robin Mawhinney, and Charlotte Pang. Willis steps into the role of PR and influencer manager after serving as creator and community director at Diva Agency. Mawhinney joins as production coordinator, having worked as a junior producer at Atelier 11.
Pang becomes publishing coordinator; her background includes production, animation, and art work 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 platform’s mobile‑first AI creation tool, Build, in New Zealand. The duo co‑founded the AI‑interactive platform Jars AI in 2023 and secured $3.5 million in funding from Google and other investors. Holm noted, “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’s previous experience includes a product‑manager role on *Call of Duty* at Activision, following an internship in business development at the same developer. Finally, Joe Chard has been named lead product manager at Netflix Games. Chard’s background 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.