Tracking the flow of talent across the games sector can be a challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups of hires, departures and promotions. If you have a move you think belongs in the next edition, please email the name, new title, new employer and the previous role and company to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to take on the role of Executive Vice President, head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. At Epic, Nanzer held several senior positions, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Monetisation, where he oversaw the company’s global partnership strategy and revenue‑generation initiatives. "The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting," Nanzer said in his announcement.
"I've spent my career at the intersection of games, entertainment, and fandom, and the opportunity to help build what comes next at Paramount was simply too compelling to pass up." He added that he is deeply grateful to his colleagues at Epic and the partners he collaborated with, noting that he will continue to cheer the team from the sidelines. Julia Gutnik has been named Head of Media for Amazon Gaming. Prior to this appointment, she led media, social and analytics at Kia America and spent more than six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she headed digital and ad‑tech media operations. "After two years navigating the auto industry, I am returning to my entertainment roots, and to the place that shaped me into a global marketing leader," Gutnik explained, emphasizing her enthusiasm for re‑engaging with the gaming community.
Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as an Art Producer. She previously worked as a producer at Roarty Digital, contributing to titles such as Fortnite Battle Royale and the Lego Fortnite collaboration, bringing valuable experience in large‑scale live‑service projects. Aysu Kutbay becomes Product Manager at Grand Games, after serving in the same capacity at Rollic where she helped steer the studio’s mobile portfolio and user‑acquisition strategy.
David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey originally joined the company in 2019 as Senior Licensing Manager, left in 2021 to become Director of Business Affairs at Sumo Digital, and now comes back to the Warhammer universe.
"It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," he said. "It's an incredible opportunity and it's great to be back in the fold working alongside great people." Liana Murphy has been appointed Account Director for US Operations at Second Stage. Her most recent roles were as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, where she oversaw client strategy and communications across the entertainment sector. Tim Coombs steps into the role of Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
He previously led brand management at Xbox until July 2026, having joined the platform in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy. Before Xbox, Coombs was Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard (2017) and later Senior Product Marketing Manager and Team Lead for Amazon GameTech until April 2020.
Erik Mogensen exits 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, culminating 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, naming Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering and Transformers as highlights. He expressed optimism about his next professional chapter, whatever form it may take. Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer.
Rubin’s background includes senior production work at Netflix, where he helped ship two mobile titles—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and a five‑year stint at Riot Games focusing on creative development for the League of Legends franchise. Andrey Odintsov has been appointed Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. He previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and currently works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various gaming projects. Dan Lazarides becomes Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke, who moved to the CEO role in January.
Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing for Sega Europe. Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised his arrival, noting that his deep experience with large IPs will reinforce the studio’s player‑first strategy and support its community‑centric approach.
Karen Ionescu takes the role of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK. Her prior experience includes sales management at Numskull Games, as well as roles at Nintendo and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson highlighted her extensive retail and digital relationships as a valuable asset for the company.
Hannah Barrett has been promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining as an Account Executive in December 2025. Supercell appoints Anni Pyy as Contract Manager. Pyy comes from a four‑year tenure as Contract Manager at Metacore.
Nathan Solbrandt becomes Senior Vice President of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD. He previously worked as a Senior Account Executive at Motorica and served as Vice President of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla. Olivia Lee joins Riot Games as Internal Events Producer, having previously been an Associate Producer for internal events and programs. Ciarah Pritchard is named Account Coordinator at Xsolla, after working as an Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards.
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, before a stint at Electronic Arts (2019‑2023) as Head of Product and Studio Integrated Communications.
She expressed excitement about supporting the teams behind Bethesda’s iconic franchises. Maddie Richter becomes Social Media Marketing Manager for Nintendo of America, after serving as Social Media Manager at Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a Narrative Designer, following a senior narrative design role at Series Entertainment.
Yogscast Games announces three new hires: Charlotte Willis as PR and Influencer Manager (formerly Creator and Community Director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney as Production Coordinator (previously Junior Producer at Atelier 11) and Charlotte Pang as Publishing Coordinator (with a background as Producer, Animator and Artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, plus teaching experience at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger have been added to Roblox’s Foundation AI team to help scale the mobile‑first AI creation tool Build in New Zealand. The duo co‑founded Jars AI in 2023, raising $3.5 million from Google and other investors. Holm noted, "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.
He previously served as Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision, following an internship in business development at the developer. Joe Chard has been appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard’s earlier experience includes a six‑year period 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.