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 put together periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves across the industry. If you know of a recent appointment or transition that belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company, as well as the previous role and employer 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 held the role of director of brand management until July 2026 after joining the console maker in 2020 as senior manager of brand strategy. Prior to his Xbox tenure, he helped launch Amazon’s game‑development platform Lumberyard as product marketing manager in 2017, and later advanced to senior product marketing manager and team lead for Amazon Game Tech, a position he held through April 2020. Erik Mogensen is exiting Hasbro and its tabletop‑gaming arm Wizards of the Coast after a three‑year stint as senior director of business development for digital gaming.
Before that, Mogensen devoted 23 years to 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," he 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." Ryan Rubin has joined Blizzard Entertainment as a senior producer.
Rubin’s most recent experience was at Netflix, where he produced 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.
Andrey Odintsov is the new head of marketing at Battlestate Games. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition for Multicast Games and now works as an independent consultant focused on growth and go‑to‑market strategies for game publishers. Dan Lazarides has been appointed chief marketing officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides comes from Sega Europe, where he was senior vice president of marketing.
He succeeds 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," said Cooke.
"His leadership will keep our momentum strong, and his focus on community‑first marketing will ensure our publishing teams champion player creativity and celebrate the many ways gamers enjoy our titles." Karen Ionescu is now digital sales manager for Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu’s background includes a sales‑manager role at Numskull Games and previous 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 earned a promotion 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 risen through the ranks. Supercell has hired Anni Pyy as contract manager.
Pyy spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore before moving to the Finnish mobile‑game giant. Nathan Solbrandt has taken the role of senior vice president of business development at fintech platform ZBD. His prior experience includes senior account executive work at Motorica and a vice‑presidential stint overseeing Americas‑region business development at Xsolla.
Olivia Lee is now internal events producer at Riot Games, having previously served as associate producer for internal events and programs within the company. Ciarah Pritchard has joined Xsolla as an account coordinator after working as an account performance manager at Playback Rewards. Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as vice president of communications.
Thompson’s history with the studio dates back to 2009, when she arrived as director of publications and later became associate VP of communications. She left in 2019 for Electronic Arts, where she headed product and studio integrated communications. "I’m excited to partner with the talented teams at Bethesda and Xbox, supporting the creators behind some of the most iconic franchises and helping bring their vision to players worldwide," Thompson said.
Maddie Richter is now social media marketing manager for Nintendo of America. Before joining Nintendo, she managed social media for Alaska Airlines, where she honed her expertise in audience engagement and brand storytelling. Dana Duffield has become a narrative designer at Yotta Games. Duffield previously served as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment, crafting storylines and character arcs for a range of titles.
The UK‑based publisher Yogscast Games announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis, Robin Mawhinney, and Charlotte Pang. Willis will act as PR and influencer manager, after serving as creator and community director at Diva Agency. Mawhinney joins as production coordinator, bringing junior producer experience from Atelier 11. Pang takes on the role of publishing coordinator; she previously worked as a producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and taught 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 interactive AI platform Jars AI 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’s background includes product management on Call of Duty at Activision and an earlier internship in business development at the same studio. Joe Chard has been appointed lead product manager at Netflix Games. Chard’s résumé 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 appointments, departures, and promotions illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement within the gaming ecosystem, highlighting how experience across platforms, genres, and even non‑gaming sectors continues to enrich the industry’s creative and commercial capabilities.