Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and role changes across the games sector can be a daunting task. To make it easier for readers, we regularly gather these announcements into concise round‑ups. If you know of any noteworthy personnel shifts at your studio, feel free to email the details (name, new title, new company, plus previous role and employer) to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Nate Nanzer has announced his departure from Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to assume the position of Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games.
During his time at Epic, Nanzer held several senior posts, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Monetisation. "The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting," Nanzer explained. "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 a note of gratitude toward his former colleagues: "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." In another high‑profile move, Julia Gutnik has been named Head of Media at Amazon Gaming.
Gutnik previously led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over 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," she said, underscoring her excitement about re‑engaging with the gaming ecosystem. Studio MDHR welcomes Lorna Antoniazzi as its new Art Producer. Antoniazzi comes from Roarty Digital, where she contributed to high‑profile projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, bringing a strong background in art direction and production pipelines.
Grand Games has appointed Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager. Kutbay previously managed product development at Rollic, where she oversaw several successful mobile titles and sharpened her expertise in user acquisition and live‑ops strategy. 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 for the expansive Warhammer universes.
"It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," Bailey remarked. "It's an incredible opportunity and it's great to be back in the fold working alongside great people." Second Stage has added Liana Murphy as Account Director for its U.S.
operations. Murphy most recently held dual responsibilities as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a blend of operational and communications experience. Amazon Luna's branding efforts will be led by Tim Coombs, who steps into the role of Head of Brand Marketing.
Coombs previously served as Director of Brand Management at Xbox until July 2026, after joining the console maker in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy. His earlier roles include Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard (2017) and Senior Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Game Tech (until April 2020). After three years as Senior Director of Business Development for Digital Gaming at Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, Erik Mogensen has left the company.
Mogensen spent 23 years at Games Workshop, most recently as 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." Blizzard Entertainment welcomes Ryan Rubin as Senior Producer.
Rubin previously produced two mobile titles for Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and spent five years at Riot Games, focusing on creative development for the League of Legends franchise. Battlestate Games has named Andrey Odintsov as Head of Marketing. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and currently operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for gaming clients.
Frontier Developments announced Dan Lazarides as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Lazarides arrives from Sega Europe, where he was Senior Vice President of Marketing, and replaces Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO in January. Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised the appointment: "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." Kalypso Media UK has hired Karen Ionescu as Digital Sales Manager.
Ionescu previously managed sales at Numskull Games and held roles at Nintendo and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson said, "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." Swipe Right, a communications agency focused on esports and gaming, promoted Hannah Barrett to Senior Account Executive after she joined as an Account Executive in December 2025. Supercell named Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore.
Fintech platform ZBD appointed Nathan Solbrandt as SVP of Business Development. Solbrandt's background includes senior account work at Motorica and a Vice President role for Americas Business Development at Xsolla.
Riot Games added Olivia Lee as Internal Events Producer. Lee previously served as Associate Producer for internal events and programs, bringing experience in coordinating large‑scale employee initiatives. Xsolla welcomed Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator. Pritchard formerly worked as an Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards.
Bethesda has reinstated Tracey Thompson as Vice President of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009 as Director of Publications, later becoming Associate VP of Communications before leaving for EA in 2019.
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, adding a fresh perspective from the travel sector.
Yotta Games hired narrative designer Dana Duffield, who comes from a senior narrative design role at Series Entertainment. The Yogscast Games team in the UK announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis as PR and Influencer Manager (formerly Creator and Community Director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney as Production Coordinator (previous junior producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang as Publishing Coordinator (with a background in production, animation, and teaching game design at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Roblox's Foundation AI team welcomed Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger to help develop the mobile‑first AI creation tool Build in New Zealand.
The duo co‑founded Jars AI in 2023 and raised $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." Rockstar Games added Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager for Live Services. Sudireddy previously managed product development on Call of Duty at Activision and began his career with a business development internship at Rockstar.
Netflix Games appointed Joe Chard as Lead Product Manager. Chard's résumé includes a Vice President and Studio General Manager stint at Jam City, senior product roles at Disney and Warner Bros., and extensive experience overseeing live‑service titles. These appointments collectively 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 across a broad spectrum of companies.