Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most notable personnel moves across studios, publishers, and related tech firms. If you know of a change that belongs in this list—whether it’s a new appointment, a transition, or an exit—please forward the name, new title, new company, and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Tim Coombs has been named head of brand marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs spent the previous six years at Microsoft’s Xbox division, where he rose from senior manager for brand strategy (starting in 2020) to director of brand management, a role he held until July 2026. Earlier in his career he joined Amazon’s game‑related teams, first as product marketing manager for the Lumberyard engine in 2017, then advancing to senior product marketing manager and team lead for Amazon Game Tech, a position he occupied until April 2020. His blend of console‑level brand expertise and deep familiarity with Amazon’s gaming infrastructure makes him a strong fit to steer Luna’s public image and outreach.
After three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming at Hasbro and its Wizards of the Coast subsidiary, Erik Mogensen has exited the company. Mogensen’s tenure followed a remarkable 23‑year stint at Games Workshop, where he culminated his service as head of business development and consumer‑product licensing.
In his farewell remarks he reflected on the privilege of having worked on many of his personal favorite franchises—"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 senior vacancy that will likely attract candidates with strong licensing and cross‑media experience. Blizzard Entertainment has added Ryan Rubin to its senior production roster. Rubin previously produced two mobile titles for Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—both of which shipped successfully.
Prior to his Netflix stint, he spent five years at Riot Games, where he contributed to creative development across the League of Legends intellectual property. His background in both live‑service mobile experiences and large‑scale esports titles positions him to help Blizzard expand its portfolio of online and mobile offerings. Andrey Odintsov is now head of marketing at Battlestate Games.
Before joining the Russian studio, Odintsov managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and has been operating as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various game projects. His expertise in performance marketing and data‑driven user acquisition strategies should aid Battlestate in scaling titles such as Escape from Tarkov to broader audiences. Frontier Developments announced Dan Lazarides as its new chief marketing officer. Lazarides arrives from Sega Europe, where he served as senior vice president of marketing.
He steps into the role vacated by Jo Cooke, who was promoted to CEO 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 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 in which they play our games." The statement underscores Frontier's intent to deepen community engagement and leverage its strong simulation titles.
Kalypso Media UK has hired Karen Ionescu as digital sales manager. Ionescu’s résumé includes a sales manager role at Numskull Games as well as positions at Nintendo and Rising Star Games, giving her a broad perspective on both retail and digital distribution channels. 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." At the esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, Hannah Barrett earned a promotion to senior account executive after joining as an account executive in December 2025. Her progression reflects the agency’s rapid growth and the increasing demand for specialized gaming PR services.
Supercell has brought on Anni Pyy as contract manager. Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, where she oversaw licensing agreements and third‑party collaborations for mobile titles. Fintech platform ZBD announced Nathan Solbrandt as senior vice president of business development.
Solbrandt’s background includes senior account executive work at Motorica and a vice‑president role for business development covering the Americas at Xsolla, giving him a strong foundation in payment solutions and publisher services. Riot Games added Olivia Lee as internal events producer. Lee previously served as associate producer for internal events and programs, coordinating employee‑focused initiatives that foster company culture and cross‑team collaboration. Xsolla welcomed Ciarah Pritchard as account coordinator.
Pritchard comes from Playback Rewards, where she was account performance manager, handling client relationships and KPI reporting. After a decade at Bethesda, Tracey Thompson has returned 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, 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 named Maddie Richter as social media marketing manager.
Richter previously managed social media for Alaska Airlines, bringing experience in large‑scale audience engagement and brand storytelling to the gaming giant. Narrative designer Dana Duffield has joined Yotta Games.
Duffield most recently served as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment, where she crafted story arcs and character dialogue for indie titles. Yogscast Games, a UK‑based publisher, announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis as PR and influencer manager, Robin Mawhinney as production coordinator, and Charlotte Pang as publishing coordinator.
Willis previously worked at Diva Agency as creator and community director. Mawhinney was a junior producer at Atelier 11, while Pang has a diverse background that includes producing, animating, and illustrating for Team Gramps and Queensguard, as well as teaching game design, animation, and coding at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone. Roblox’s Foundation AI team in New Zealand has expanded with Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger. The duo co‑founded Jars AI, an interactive AI platform, in 2023 after raising $3.5 million 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 is now marketing manager for live services at Rockstar Games. Sudireddy previously worked as a product manager on Call of Duty at Activision and began his career with an internship in business development at the same studio.
Finally, Netflix Games has appointed Joe Chard as lead product manager. Chard’s prior experience includes a six‑year tenure at Jam City as vice president, studio general manager, and head of product, as well as senior roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
His broad product leadership background is expected to help Netflix Games refine its portfolio of interactive experiences. These movements illustrate the fluid nature of talent within the interactive entertainment ecosystem, where expertise in brand strategy, community engagement, narrative design, and emerging technologies such as AI continues to be highly sought after. As studios expand into new platforms and business models, the demand for seasoned professionals who can bridge creative vision with commercial execution remains strong, ensuring that the industry will keep evolving with fresh ideas and fresh leadership.