Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task. To make it easier for industry observers, we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel changes.
If you know of a move that belongs in this list—whether it’s a new appointment, a transition, or a departure—please forward the details (name, new title, new company, previous role and employer) 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 of brand strategy (joined in 2020) to director of brand management before leaving in July 2026. Earlier in his career he helped launch Amazon Lumberyard, serving as product marketing manager in 2017, and later took on the senior product marketing manager role and team‑lead responsibilities for Amazon Game Tech until April 2020.
His deep experience in both console and cloud‑gaming ecosystems positions him well to steer Luna’s brand narrative as the service expands globally. Erik Mogensen has exited Hasbro and its subsidiary Wizards of the Coast after a three‑year stint as senior director of business development for digital gaming.
Before joining Hasbro, Mogensen devoted 23 years to Games Workshop, culminating in the role 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.” Ryan Rubin is now a senior producer at Blizzard Entertainment.
Rubin’s most recent experience was at Netflix, where he produced two mobile titles—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—that successfully launched on iOS and Android. Prior to Netflix, he spent five years at Riot Games, contributing to creative development across the League of Legends franchise.
His background in both live‑service and narrative‑driven mobile experiences should complement Blizzard’s expanding portfolio of cross‑platform projects. Andrey Odintsov has taken the helm of marketing at Battlestate Games. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and currently works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various gaming studios. His expertise in performance marketing and data‑driven user acquisition will be instrumental as Battlestate continues to grow its player base for titles such as Escape from Tarkov.
Dan Lazarides has been appointed chief marketing officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides arrives from Sega Europe, where he served as senior vice‑president of marketing. He succeeds Jo Cooke, who moved into the CEO role 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.” Cooke added, “This strategy is paramount to our position as a genre‑leading creative management simulation studio and ensures that we continue to create incredible games.” Karen Ionescu joins Kalypso Media UK as digital sales manager. Ionescu’s résumé includes a sales‑manager role at Numskull Games and prior 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, saying, “We’re delighted to welcome Karen to Kalypso Media UK.
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 has been promoted 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 quickly demonstrated the client‑relationship skills needed to handle larger accounts and more complex campaigns.
Supercell announced the hiring of Anni Pyy as contract manager. Pyy spent four years at Metacore overseeing contractual negotiations and partnership agreements, experience that will help Supercell manage its expanding portfolio of mobile titles. Nathan Solbrandt is now senior vice‑president of business development at fintech platform ZBD.
Solbrandt previously worked as a senior account executive at Motorica and served as vice president of business development for the Americas at Xsolla, giving him a strong foundation in both gaming finance and broader fintech solutions. Olivia Lee has been appointed internal events producer at Riot Games.
In her previous role, Lee coordinated internal programs and events that fostered cross‑team collaboration and cultural cohesion within the studio. Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as an account coordinator.
Prior to Xsolla, she was an account performance manager at Playback Rewards, where she optimized client campaigns and drove revenue growth. Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as vice president of communications. Thompson’s history with Bethesda dates back to 2009, when she entered 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.
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 is now social media marketing manager for Nintendo of America. Before joining Nintendo, Richter managed social channels for Alaska Airlines, where she honed her skills in community engagement and real‑time content strategy.
Dana Duffield has become a narrative designer at Yotta Games. Duffield previously served as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment, contributing to story‑driven experiences across multiple platforms.
Yogscast Games, a UK‑based publisher, announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis, Robin Mawhinney, and Charlotte Pang. Willis will act as PR and influencer manager, having previously been creator and community director at Diva Agency.
Mawhinney joins as production coordinator after a junior producer role at Atelier 11, while Pang arrives as publishing coordinator, bringing experience as a producer, animator, and artist 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 mobile‑first AI creation tool “Build in New Zealand.” The duo co‑founded Jars AI, an interactive AI platform, 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 joins Rockstar Games as marketing manager for live services. Sudireddy previously worked as product manager on Call of Duty at Activision after completing an internship in business development at the same studio, giving him a solid grasp of live‑service monetisation and community engagement.
Joe Chard is now lead product manager at Netflix Games. Chard’s background 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, equipping him to steer Netflix’s growing portfolio of interactive experiences.
These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the fluid nature of talent movement within the gaming sector, where expertise in brand strategy, community management, and live‑service operations remains in high demand. The industry continues to evolve rapidly, and the individuals highlighted here will play pivotal roles in shaping the next wave of games and interactive entertainment.