Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions across the games sector can be a real challenge, which is why we put together periodic round‑ups that capture the most notable moves. If you know of a new appointment or a transition that belongs in this list, please forward the individual's name, new title, new company, as well as their previous role and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Nate Nanzer has decided to leave Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to take on the role of Executive Vice President and Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. During his time at Epic, Nanzer held several senior positions, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Monetisation, where he helped shape the company's revenue strategies and partnership ecosystem.
"The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting," Nanzer said. "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 also expressed gratitude to his former colleagues, stating, "I'm deeply grateful to everyone at Epic and to all of the partners I've had the opportunity to work with along the way. I'll always be proud of what we accomplished together and will be cheering the team on from the sidelines." Julia Gutnik has been named Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Prior to this appointment, Gutnik led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent more than six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she oversaw 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," she remarked, highlighting her excitement about re‑entering the gaming arena. Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as an Art Producer. Antoniazzi previously worked as a producer at Roarty Digital, contributing to high‑profile projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and the Lego‑themed Fortnite crossover, giving her solid experience in large‑scale live‑service titles. Aysu Kutbay has taken on the role of Product Manager at Grand Games, coming from a similar position at Rollic where she managed mobile titles and helped drive user‑acquisition strategies.
David Bailey is back at Games Workshop, this time as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey originally joined the company in 2019 as Senior Licensing Manager, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now returns to help steer licensing initiatives for the ever‑expanding Warhammer universe.
"It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," Bailey said. "It's an incredible opportunity and it's great to be back in the fold working alongside great people." Liana Murphy becomes Account Director for U.S. Operations at Second Stage.
Before this, Murphy simultaneously held the COO post and headed public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a blend of operational and communications expertise. Tim Coombs has been appointed Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs previously served as Director of Brand Management at Xbox until July 2026, after joining the Xbox team in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy. Earlier in his career, he was Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and later Senior Product Marketing Manager and Team Lead for Amazon Game Tech until April 2020.
Erik Mogensen departs Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for Digital Gaming. Prior to that, he 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," Mogensen reflected, naming Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Transformers among the iconic properties he helped grow. He added, "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 production work on two mobile titles for Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and a five‑year stint at Riot Games where he contributed to creative development across the League of Legends franchise. Andrey Odintsov steps into the role of Head 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 game projects. Dan Lazarides has been named Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO. Lazarides previously held the Senior Vice President of Marketing position at Sega Europe.
Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised the appointment, saying, "We are delighted to welcome Dan to Frontier, who brings with him a wealth of experience on some of the industry's largest IP. 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. 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 becomes Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu's background includes sales leadership at Numskull Games as well as roles at Nintendo and Rising Star Games.
Managing Director Andrew Johnson commented, "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, after joining as an Account Executive in December 2025. Supercell appoints Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore.
Nathan Solbrandt takes on the role of Senior Vice President of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, following senior account work at Motorica and a Vice President position for business development at Xsolla covering the Americas. Olivia Lee becomes Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, having previously served as Associate Producer for internal events and programs. Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as an Account Coordinator 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 leaving in 2019 for Electronic Arts, where she headed product and studio integrated communications. 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." Maddie Richter is appointed Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, moving from a Social Media Manager role at Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a Narrative Designer after serving as Senior Narrative Designer 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 past experience as Producer, Animator, and Artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, plus teaching roles 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 the interactive AI platform Jars AI in 2023 and secured $3.5 million in funding 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 joins Rockstar Games as Marketing Manager for Live Services, after product management work on Call of Duty at Activision and an internship in business development at the developer. Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games, bringing experience from 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.