Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the games sector can be a real challenge, which is why we gather the most notable personnel changes into periodic round‑ups. If you know of a transition that belongs in this list—whether it’s a new appointment, a move to a different studio, or a return to a former employer—please forward the name, new title, new company, as well as the previous role and organization to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Nate Nanzer has departed Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to assume the role of Executive Vice President, 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 oversaw the development of strategic alliances and revenue‑generation initiatives for flagship titles. "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 a note of gratitude toward 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 for Amazon Gaming. Gutnik brings a blend of automotive and entertainment experience, having previously led media, social, and analytics at Kia America. Prior to her stint in the auto sector, she 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. Her appointment signals Amazon Gaming's intent to deepen its media strategy and expand its reach across streaming and interactive platforms. Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as an Art Producer. Antoniazzi's background includes a producer role at Roarty Digital, where she contributed to high‑profile collaborations such as Fortnite Battle Royale and the Lego‑themed Fortnite experience.
Her expertise in art pipeline management and cross‑functional coordination is expected to bolster MDHR's upcoming projects. Aysu Kutbay has taken the product‑manager position at Grand Games.
Kutbay previously managed product development at Rollic, where she was responsible for overseeing live‑ops, user acquisition, and feature roadmaps for several successful mobile titles. At Grand Games, she will steer the lifecycle of new releases and help shape the studio's portfolio strategy.
David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey originally joined Games Workshop 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 remarked.
"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. Murphy previously held the dual roles of COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, where she managed agency‑level client relationships and oversaw large‑scale PR campaigns for gaming and entertainment brands. Tim Coombs steps into the role of Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
Before joining Amazon, Coombs spent six years at Xbox, most recently as Director of Brand Management, after starting as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy in 2020. He also served as Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and later as Senior Product Marketing Manager and Team Lead for Amazon Game Tech until April 2020.
His experience with console branding and cloud‑based game development tools positions him well to elevate Luna's market presence. Erik Mogensen has exited Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for Digital Gaming. Mogensen's career includes a 23‑year stretch at Games Workshop, culminating as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing. Reflecting on his journey, 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 joins Blizzard Entertainment as a Senior Producer. Rubin previously led senior production on two mobile titles at Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—before spending five years at Riot Games, where he contributed to creative development across the League of Legends IP.
His cross‑platform experience is expected to enrich Blizzard's live‑service and mobile initiatives. Andrey Odintsov has been appointed Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. Odintsov's prior roles include User Acquisition Manager at Multicast Games and independent consultancy work focused on growth and go‑to‑market strategies for game launches. Dan Lazarides becomes Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments.
Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing for Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke following her promotion to CEO of Frontier 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 has been named Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu's background spans 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 was promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining as an Account Executive in December 2025. Supercell appointed Anni Pyy as Contract Manager.
Pyy previously held the same title at Metacore for four years, overseeing licensing agreements and partnership contracts. Nathan Solbrandt takes on the role of SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD. Solbrandt's prior experience includes senior account executive work at Motorica and a Vice President position for Business Development covering the Americas at Xsolla.
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 joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator after serving as 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 for Electronic Arts in 2019 to head 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 has been appointed Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, moving from a Social Media Manager role at Alaska Airlines where she led community engagement and content strategy. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a Narrative Designer, after serving as Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment, where she crafted storylines for multiple indie titles. Yogscast Games announced 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 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, 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. Sudireddy previously worked as a Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision following an internship in business development at Rockstar.
Joe Chard has been appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard's background includes a six‑year stint 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. These appointments reflect a vibrant period of talent movement within the industry, underscoring the importance of experienced leaders in shaping the future of interactive entertainment.