Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions across the gaming sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we put together periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves.
If you know of a change at your studio that belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, company, and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Tim Coombs has been named head of brand marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs spent the last 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, and before that he cut his teeth at Amazon on the Luna side of the business. In 2017 he became product marketing manager for Amazon Lumberyard, later advancing to senior product marketing manager and team lead for Amazon Game Tech, a role he held until April 2020. His deep experience in both console branding and cloud‑based game services makes him a strong fit to steer Luna’s market presence.
After three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming at Hasbro and its Wizards of the Coast subsidiary, Erik Mogensen has exited the company. Mogensen’s career spans more than two decades, including a 23‑year stint at Games Workshop where he ultimately served as 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," Mogensen 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, wherever that may be." Blizzard Entertainment has added Ryan Rubin to its senior producer roster. Rubin previously held a senior producer role at Netflix, where he helped launch two mobile titles: Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset. Prior to his Netflix tenure, he spent five years at Riot Games, contributing to creative development across the League of Legends franchise. His background in both live‑service production and narrative‑driven mobile experiences should prove valuable as Blizzard expands its non‑PC offerings.
Andrey Odintsov steps into the head of marketing position at Battlestate Games. Before this appointment, Odintsov managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and has been operating as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various studios.
His expertise in data‑driven acquisition strategies is expected to boost Battlestate’s reach for titles such as Escape from Tarkov. Frontier Developments has promoted Dan Lazarides to chief marketing officer. Lazarides joins from Sega Europe, where he was senior vice president of marketing.
He replaces Jo Cooke, who moved into the CEO role at Frontier in January. "We are delighted to welcome Dan to Frontier, who brings a wealth of experience on some of the industry’s largest IPs," Cooke said.
"His leadership will sustain our upward momentum and reinforce our player‑first strategy, ensuring our publishing team champions creativity and celebrates how players engage with our games." Kalypso Media UK announced the appointment of Karen Ionescu as digital sales manager. Ionescu’s résumé includes a sales manager role at Numskull Games and prior positions at Nintendo and Rising Star Games. Managing director Andrew Johnson praised her: "She brings a wealth of commercial experience and long‑standing relationships across both retail and digital channels, making her a fantastic addition to the team." At esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, Hannah Barrett has been promoted to senior account executive after joining as an account executive in December 2025. Her rapid rise reflects strong client‑facing skills and a deep understanding of the competitive gaming landscape.
Supercell has hired Anni Pyy as contract manager. Pyy spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, where she oversaw licensing agreements and partnership negotiations for mobile titles.
Fintech platform ZBD welcomes Nathan Solbrandt as senior vice president of business development. 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 payment solutions for games.
Riot Games added Olivia Lee as internal events producer. Lee’s prior role was associate producer for internal events and programs, where she coordinated large‑scale employee gatherings and community‑building initiatives. Xsolla announced Ciarah Pritchard as an account coordinator.
Pritchard previously worked as an account performance manager at Playback Rewards, focusing on optimizing 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 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 named social media marketing manager for Nintendo of America. Before this role she managed social channels for Alaska Airlines, where she honed her skills in audience engagement and brand storytelling. Narrative designer Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games after serving as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment. Duffield’s experience includes crafting story arcs for indie titles and mentoring junior writers.
Yogscast Games, a UK publisher, announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis as PR and influencer manager, Robin Mawhinney as production coordinator, and Charlotte Pang as publishing coordinator. Willis previously worked at Diva Agency as creator and community director. Mawhinney came from Atelier 11 where she was a junior producer, while Pang brings a blend of production, animation, and teaching experience from roles at Team Gramps, Queensguard, and educational institutions such as Submarine Art School and The Code Zone. Roblox’s Foundation AI team in New Zealand has added Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger to support the mobile‑first AI creation tool Build.
The duo co‑founded Jars AI in 2023, securing $3.5 million in funding from Google and other investors. "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," Holm explained. Sathvik Sudireddy joins Rockstar Games as marketing manager for live services.
He previously worked as a product manager on Call of Duty at Activision after completing an internship in business development at the same studio. Finally, Joe Chard has been appointed 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.
His extensive product leadership experience is expected to guide Netflix’s growing portfolio of interactive experiences.