Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we gather the most notable personnel moves into periodic round‑ups for easy reference.
If your organization has recent staffing changes that belong 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 previously held the position of director of brand management at Xbox until July 2026, after joining the console maker in 2020 as senior manager for brand strategy.
Earlier in his career he served as product marketing manager for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017, then progressed to senior product marketing manager and team lead for Amazon Game Tech, a role he kept until April 2020. His extensive background in both console and cloud‑gaming branding 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. Prior to that, Mogensen spent 23 years at Games Workshop, most recently 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, whatever and wherever that may be." Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as a senior producer. Rubin’s recent experience includes senior producer duties at Netflix, where he helped launch two mobile titles—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset. He also spent five years at Riot Games, contributing to creative development across the League of Legends franchise. Andrey Odintsov has been appointed head of marketing at Battlestate Games.
Before this, he worked at Multicast Games as user‑acquisition manager and currently operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various gaming projects. Dan Lazarides steps into the role of chief marketing officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides previously served as senior vice‑president of marketing for Sega Europe. He replaces Jo Cooke, who moved into the CEO position 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 publishing will ensure we continue to champion player creativity and celebrate how they engage with our games." Karen Ionescu has taken the position of digital sales manager at Kalypso Media UK.
Ionescu’s background includes a sales‑manager role at Numskull Games and prior stints at Nintendo and Rising Star Games. Managing director Andrew Johnson praised the hire: "Karen brings a wealth of commercial experience 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 as an account executive in December 2025 and has since demonstrated strong client‑relationship skills. Supercell named Anni Pyy as contract manager.
Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, where she oversaw licensing agreements and partnership contracts. Nathan Solbrandt has been appointed senior vice president of business development at fintech platform ZBD. Solbrandt’s résumé includes senior account executive work at Motorica and a vice‑president role for business development covering the Americas at Xsolla.
Olivia Lee joins Riot Games as internal events producer. She previously served as associate producer for internal events and programs, coordinating large‑scale employee gatherings and community‑focused initiatives. Ciarah Pritchard becomes an account coordinator at Xsolla after serving as account performance manager at Playback Rewards, where she optimized client metrics and revenue streams.
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.
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 at Nintendo of America. Before this, she managed social media for Alaska Airlines, where she led campaigns that increased follower engagement by over 30%.
Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a narrative designer. Duffield previously worked as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment, crafting storylines and character arcs for multiple indie titles. The 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, having worked as a junior producer at Atelier 11. Pang takes on the role of publishing coordinator; her 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 been added to Roblox’s Foundation AI team to support the platform’s mobile‑first AI creation tool, Build, in New Zealand. The pair co‑founded the AI interactive 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 becomes marketing manager for live services at Rockstar Games. He previously served as product manager on Call of Duty at Activision and completed an internship in business development at the same studio.
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 movements illustrate the dynamic nature of talent flow within the gaming ecosystem, where seasoned veterans and rising stars alike continue to shape the future of interactive entertainment.
The industry remains vibrant, with companies investing heavily in leadership that can navigate evolving markets, emerging technologies, and ever‑growing player communities.