Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the gaming sector can be a daunting task. That’s why we regularly assemble concise round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves.
If you know of any recent changes at your studio—new appointments, role shifts, or exits—please forward the details (name, new position, 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 held the title of director of brand management until July 2026. He originally joined Xbox in 2020 as senior manager for brand strategy, before moving up the ladder. Prior to his Xbox tenure, Coombs worked for Amazon’s game‑related services: he started as product marketing manager for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017, later becoming senior product marketing manager and team lead for Amazon Game Tech, a role he held until April 2020.
His deep experience in both platform branding and developer tools makes him a strong fit for steering Luna’s market presence. Erik Mogensen has exited Hasbro and its subsidiary Wizards of the Coast after three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming.
Before his stint at Hasbro, Mogensen devoted 23 years to Games Workshop, culminating in the position of head of business development and consumer product licensing. Reflecting on his career, he said, "It’s not lost on me how special it’s been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands.
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 signals the end of an era for the company’s digital expansion efforts.
Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as a senior producer. Rubin’s most recent role was senior producer 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 background in both narrative‑driven mobile experiences and large‑scale live‑service titles positions him well to support Blizzard’s evolving portfolio.
Andrey Odintsov has been appointed head of marketing at Battlestate Games. Odintsov previously led user acquisition at Multicast Games and currently works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various game projects. His expertise in performance marketing and community building is expected to boost Battlestate’s visibility in a crowded market. Dan Lazarides steps into the role of chief marketing officer at Frontier Developments.
Lazarides comes from Sega Europe, where he served as senior vice president of marketing. He succeeds Jo Cooke, who moved into the CEO position at Frontier in January. Cooke praised the appointment, 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 in this genre will continue Frontier’s upward momentum, and his appointment to the role of CMO highlights our focus on our communities. Dan will be at the heart of our player‑first strategy, ensuring our publishing team champions player creativity and celebrates the way they play our games." The statement underscores Frontier’s commitment to community‑centric development and marketing. Karen Ionescu has taken the digital sales manager position at Kalypso Media UK.
Ionescu’s résumé includes a sales manager role at Numskull Games and prior stints at Nintendo and Rising Star Games. Managing director Andrew Johnson welcomed her, noting, "She brings a wealth of commercial experience and long‑standing relationships across both retail and digital sales 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 her advancement reflects the agency’s growth in the competitive esports PR space.
Supercell announced the hiring of Anni Pyy as contract manager. Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, where she managed licensing agreements and partnership contracts for mobile titles. Nathan Solbrandt has been named senior vice president of business development at fintech platform ZBD.
Solbrandt’s background includes senior account executive work at Motorica and a vice‑presidential role in business development for the Americas at Xsolla, giving him a solid foundation in both gaming finance and broader fintech ecosystems. Olivia Lee joins Riot Games as internal events producer. Lee previously served as associate producer for internal events and programs, coordinating large‑scale employee gatherings and community‑focused initiatives.
Ciarah Pritchard takes on the role of account coordinator at Xsolla after serving as account performance manager at Playback Rewards, where she oversaw client metrics and revenue optimization. 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 led product and studio integrated communications. Upon her return, Thompson 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." Maddie Richter has been appointed social media marketing manager at Nintendo of America. Richter previously worked as social media manager for Alaska Airlines, where she honed expertise in audience engagement and brand storytelling. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a narrative designer.
Duffield’s most recent position was senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment, where she crafted storylines for indie titles. UK publisher Yogscast Games 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, bringing experience as a junior producer at Atelier 11.
Pang takes the publishing coordinator role; she previously worked as 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 joined Roblox’s Foundation AI team to support the platform’s mobile‑first AI creation tool, Build, in New Zealand.
The duo co‑founded AI interactive platform Jars AI in 2023 and secured $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." Sathvik Sudireddy becomes marketing manager for live services at Rockstar Games.
Sudireddy previously served as product manager on Call of Duty at Activision after completing a business‑development internship at the developer. Joe Chard has been appointed lead product manager at Netflix Games.
Chard’s prior experience 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, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement within the gaming industry, highlighting how experience across platforms, studios, and even adjacent sectors such as fintech and AI continues to shape the future of interactive entertainment.