Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions across the gaming sector can be a daunting task. To make it easier for industry insiders and enthusiasts alike, we publish periodic summaries that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves. If you know of any significant appointments or transitions at your organization that belong in this roundup, please forward the individual's name, new title, new employer, as well as their former position 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 recent tenure at Xbox, where he served as director of brand management until July 2026 after joining the console maker in 2020 as a senior manager overseeing brand strategy. Prior to his Xbox stint, he led product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard starting in 2017 and later advanced to senior product marketing manager and team lead for Amazon Game Tech, a role he held until April 2020. His background in both console and cloud‑gaming ecosystems positions him to shape Luna’s public image and outreach initiatives.
After three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming at Hasbro and its subsidiary Wizards of the Coast, Erik Mogensen has announced his departure. Mogensen’s career spans more than two decades, including a 23‑year stretch at Games Workshop where he ultimately oversaw business development and consumer product licensing. Reflecting on his time with iconic properties such as Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Transformers, he said, “It’s not lost on me how special it’s been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands.
I’m very much looking forward to my next chapter, whatever and wherever that may be.” Blizzard Entertainment has added Ryan Rubin to its senior production team. Rubin’s résumé includes senior producer credits on two mobile titles released by Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—as well as a five‑year spell at Riot Games where he contributed to creative development across the League of Legends franchise.
His experience bridging entertainment and interactive media makes him a valuable asset for Blizzard’s expanding live‑service and cross‑platform initiatives. Andrey Odintsov steps into the role of head of marketing at Battlestate Games.
Previously a user acquisition manager at Multicast Games, Odintsov now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant, advising multiple studios on player acquisition strategies, performance analytics, and community building. Frontier Developments welcomes Dan Lazarides as its chief marketing officer. Lazarides joins from Sega Europe, where he was senior vice president of marketing, and succeeds Jo Cooke, who moved into the chief executive officer position in January. Cooke praised Lazarides, 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 will sustain our upward momentum and reinforce our player‑first philosophy.” Kalypso Media UK has appointed Karen Ionescu as digital sales manager. Ionescu’s background includes a sales manager role at Numskull Games and prior positions at Nintendo and Rising Star Games. Managing director Andrew Johnson highlighted her extensive commercial expertise and her network of relationships across both retail and digital distribution channels. At esports and gaming communications 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 her skill in client relations, campaign strategy, and the ever‑growing esports market. Supercell announces Anni Pyy as contract manager. Pyy arrives from Metacore, where she oversaw contract negotiations for four years, bringing seasoned legal and partnership acumen to the Finnish developer. Fintech platform ZBD names Nathan Solbrandt as senior vice president of business development.
Solbrandt’s prior roles include senior account executive at Motorica and vice‑president of business development for the Americas at Xsolla, giving him deep insight into payment solutions and developer support services. Riot Games adds Olivia Lee as internal events producer. Lee previously served as associate producer for internal events and programs, where she coordinated large‑scale employee engagement activities and community‑focused celebrations. Xsolla welcomes Ciarah Pritchard as an account coordinator.
Pritchard’s earlier experience as an account performance manager at Playback Rewards equips her to manage client relationships and optimize revenue streams for the payment‑technology firm. After a ten‑year tenure at Bethesda, Tracey Thompson returns as vice‑president of communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009 as director of publications, later becoming associate VP of communications before departing for Electronic Arts in 2019 to lead product and studio integrated communications.
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 announces Maddie Richter as social media marketing manager. Richter transitions from a social media manager role at Alaska Airlines, where she honed her skills in brand storytelling, community engagement, and cross‑channel campaign execution. Narrative designer Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games after serving as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment.
Duffield’s expertise lies in crafting immersive storylines, character arcs, and world‑building elements for indie and mid‑tier titles. The UK publisher Yogscast Games reveals three new hires: Charlotte Willis as PR and influencer manager, Robin Mawhinney as production coordinator, and Charlotte Pang as publishing coordinator. Willis previously held the creator and community director position at Diva Agency.
Mawhinney came from a junior producer role at Atelier 11, while Pang’s background includes production, animation, and art work 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 joined the Foundation AI team at Roblox to support the mobile‑first AI creation tool Build in New Zealand.
The duo co‑founded the interactive AI platform Jars AI in 2023, securing $3.5 million in funding from Google and other investors. Holm remarked, “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.” Rockstar Games appoints Sathvik Sudireddy as marketing manager for live services. Sudireddy’s prior experience includes product management on Call of Duty at Activision and an internship in business development at the same developer, giving him a well‑rounded perspective on live‑ops, player engagement, and revenue optimization. Lastly, Joe Chard becomes lead product manager at Netflix Games.
Chard’s previous tenure at Jam City encompassed roles as vice‑president, studio general manager, and head of product, complemented by senior positions at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment. Chard’s broad leadership background across mobile, console, and streaming platforms will help shape Netflix’s ambitious gaming portfolio. These movements illustrate the dynamic nature of the gaming and entertainment ecosystems, where talent continuously shifts to meet evolving market demands, technological advancements, and the ever‑growing appetite of global player communities.