Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions and departures in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task, which is why we regularly assemble these concise round‑ups. If your studio has announced a new appointment or a notable transition, feel free to email the details—name, new title, new company, previous role and former employer—to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
Tim Coombs has been named head of brand marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs spent the last six years at Microsoft’s Xbox division, where he rose from senior manager of brand strategy (2020) to director of brand management, a post he held until July 2026. Prior to his Xbox tenure, he joined Amazon in 2017 as product marketing manager for the now‑defunct Amazon Lumberyard engine. He later advanced to senior product marketing manager and team lead for Amazon Game Tech, a role he occupied until April 2020.
His blend of console‑centric branding experience and deep familiarity with Amazon’s game‑development tools makes him a natural fit to steer Luna’s public image and market positioning. Erik Mogensen is exiting Hasbro and its subsidiary Wizards of the Coast after three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming.
Before that, Mogensen devoted 23 years to Games Workshop, culminating in the position 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," 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, whatever and wherever that may be." His departure opens a vacancy for a leader who can bridge tabletop heritage with emerging digital experiences. Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as a senior producer. Rubin’s most recent stint was at Netflix, where he helped launch two mobile titles—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset. Earlier in his career he spent five years at Riot Games, contributing to creative development across the League of Legends franchise.
His cross‑platform production background equips him to handle Blizzard’s expanding portfolio of live‑service and mobile projects. Andrey Odintsov has been promoted to 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 various studios. His data‑driven approach is expected to amplify Battlestate’s reach 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 chair in January.
"We are delighted to welcome Dan to Frontier, who brings a wealth of experience on some of the industry’s largest IP," Cooke said. "His leadership will sustain Frontier’s upward momentum and reinforce our player‑first strategy, ensuring our publishing team celebrates the creativity of our community." Karen Ionescu is now digital sales manager at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu’s résumé includes a sales‑manager role at Numskull Games and earlier positions at Nintendo and Rising Star Games.
Managing director Andrew Johnson praised her: "She brings extensive commercial expertise and long‑standing relationships across both retail and digital channels, making her a fantastic addition to the team." Hannah Barrett has been promoted to senior account executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right. Barrett originally joined the firm in December 2025 as an account executive and has quickly demonstrated the client‑service acumen needed for the senior role. Supercell appointed Anni Pyy as contract manager.
Pyy previously spent four years handling contracts at Metacore, where she oversaw licensing agreements and partnership negotiations. Nathan Solbrandt takes the helm as senior vice president of business development at fintech platform ZBD. Solbrandt’s background includes senior account executive work at Motorica and a vice‑president stint overseeing Americas‑wide business development at Xsolla. Olivia Lee becomes internal events producer at Riot Games.
Lee’s prior experience as associate producer for internal events and programs positions her to coordinate culture‑building activities across Riot’s global studios. Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as an account coordinator after serving as account performance manager at Playback Rewards, where she optimized client ROI and streamlined reporting processes. Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as vice president of communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009 as director of publications, later advancing to associate VP of communications before leaving for Electronic Arts in 2019 to head 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 is now social media marketing manager at Nintendo of America. Prior to Nintendo, Richter managed social channels for Alaska Airlines, where she honed audience‑growth tactics and crisis‑response strategies. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a narrative designer.
Duffield previously held the senior narrative designer title at Series Entertainment, contributing storylines for several indie titles. Yogscast Games, a UK‑based publisher, announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis, Robin Mawhinney and Charlotte Pang. Willis becomes 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 takes on the publishing coordinator role; 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 mobile‑first AI creation tool Build in New Zealand.
The duo co‑founded Jars AI, an interactive AI platform, in 2023 and secured $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.
Sudireddy previously served as product manager on Call of Duty at Activision after completing a business‑development internship at Rockstar. Joe Chard is appointed lead product manager at Netflix Games.
Chard brings a wealth of senior‑level experience, having been vice president, studio general manager and head of product at Jam City for six years, as well as holding senior positions at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment. These movements illustrate the fluid nature of talent within the interactive entertainment ecosystem, where expertise in branding, product development, community engagement and emerging technologies continually reshapes the competitive landscape.