Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and role changes across the games sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves in one convenient place. If your organization has recent appointments or transitions that belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, company, and previous position to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. **Nate Nanzer – Paramount Games** After a seven‑year tenure at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer has accepted the role of Executive Vice President and Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games.
At Epic, Nanzer rose through the ranks, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Monetisation, where he oversaw global partnership strategies and revenue‑generation initiatives. "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, adding, "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 – Amazon Gaming** Julia Gutnik has been named Head of Media for Amazon Gaming.
Prior to this, 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 remarked, highlighting her enthusiasm for re‑entering the gaming arena. **Lorna Antoniazzi – Studio MDHR** Studio MDHR announced Lorna Antoniazzi as its new Art Producer.
Antoniazzi previously worked at Roarty Digital, contributing to high‑profile projects such as *Fortnite Battle Royale* and *Lego Fortnite*, where she honed her production and artistic coordination skills. **Aysu Kutbay – Grand Games** Aysu Kutbay has stepped into the role of Product Manager at Grand Games. Before joining, she served as Product Manager at Rollic, where she managed mobile titles and helped drive user‑acquisition strategies. **David Bailey – Games Workshop** 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 of Business Affairs position at Sumo Digital, and now returns to oversee licensing for the expansive Warhammer portfolio. "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 – Second Stage** Second Stage has appointed Liana Murphy as Account Director for U.S. Operations.
Murphy most recently held dual roles as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong background in both operational leadership and communications. **Tim Coombs – Amazon Luna** Tim Coombs is now Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
He previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026, having joined the console maker in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy. Earlier in his career, Coombs worked on Amazon Lumberyard as Product Marketing Manager (2017) and later led the Amazon Game Tech team as Senior Product Marketing Manager and Team Lead until April 2020. **Erik Mogensen – Formerly Hasbro & Wizards of the Coast** Erik Mogensen has departed 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, 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," Mogensen 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 – Blizzard Entertainment** Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as a Senior Producer. Rubin's recent experience includes senior production roles at Netflix, where he helped ship mobile titles such as *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 – Battlestate Games** Andrey Odintsov has taken the helm of Marketing at Battlestate Games.
He previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and currently operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various gaming projects. **Dan Lazarides – Frontier Developments** 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, and replaces Jo Cooke following her promotion to CEO in January. "We are delighted to welcome Dan to Frontier, who brings with him a wealth of experience on some of the industry's largest IP," said Cooke. "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." **Karen Ionescu – Kalypso Media UK** Kalypso Media UK has hired Karen Ionescu as Digital Sales Manager. 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 – Swipe Right** Hannah Barrett has been promoted to Senior Account Executive at Swipe Right, a communications agency focused on esports and gaming.
Barrett originally joined as an Account Executive in December 2025 and has quickly risen through the ranks. **Anni Pyy – Supercell** Supercell names Anni Pyy as Contract Manager. Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, overseeing contractual negotiations for multiple mobile titles.
**Nathan Solbrandt – ZBD** Fintech platform ZBD welcomes Nathan Solbrandt as Senior Vice President of Business Development. Solbrandt's prior experience includes senior account work at Motorica and a Vice President role in Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla.
**Olivia Lee – Riot Games** Olivia Lee becomes Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, building on her prior role as Associate Producer for internal events and programs within the company. **Ciarah Pritchard – Xsolla** Xsolla adds Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator. She previously worked as an Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards, focusing on optimizing partner revenue streams. **Tracey Thompson – Bethesda** Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications.
Thompson first joined Bethesda in 2009 as Director of Publications, later becoming Associate VP of Communications before leaving for EA in 2019. She says, "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 – Nintendo of America** Nintendo of America appoints Maddie Richter as Social Media Marketing Manager.
Richter previously managed social media for Alaska Airlines, where she led campaigns that boosted engagement across multiple platforms. **Dana Duffield – Yotta Games** Narrative Designer Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games.
Before this, she was Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment, crafting storylines for several indie titles. **Yogscast Games – New Hires** UK publisher Yogscast Games announces three new team members: Charlotte Willis (PR & Influencer Manager), Robin Mawhinney (Production Coordinator), and Charlotte Pang (Publishing Coordinator). Willis comes from Diva Agency, where she served as Creator and Community Director. Mawhinney previously worked as a Junior Producer at Atelier 11, while Pang has a diverse background as producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and has taught game design, animation, and coding at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone.
**Roblox Foundation AI – New Team Members** Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger have joined Roblox's Foundation AI team to support the mobile‑first AI creation tool "Build" in New Zealand. The duo co‑founded Jars AI in 2023, an interactive AI platform that raised $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 – Rockstar Games** Rockstar Games brings on Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager for Live Services. Sudireddy previously managed product development on *Call of Duty* at Activision after completing a business‑development internship at the studio.
**Joe Chard – Netflix Games** Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard's résumé includes a six‑year stint as Vice President, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product at Jam City, as well as senior product roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros.
Entertainment. These appointments illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment industry, highlighting how experienced professionals continue to shape the future of games, media, and related technologies.