Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and role changes across the video‑game sector can be a daunting task. To make it easier for readers and industry observers, we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel shifts. If you know of a new appointment or a transition that deserves a mention, please forward the individual's name, new title, new employer, as well as their previous position and company to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Nate Nanzer has announced his departure from 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 company’s strategic alliance programmes and revenue‑generation initiatives. "The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting," Nanzer said in his statement.
"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 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 a separate move, Julia Gutnik has been appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Gutnik brings a wealth of experience from the automotive and entertainment sectors. Prior to joining Amazon, she served as Head of Media, Social & Analytics for Kia America, where she directed global media strategies and data‑driven campaign optimisation.
She also spent more than six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, most recently leading the digital and ad‑tech media divisions. "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. Studio MDHR has added Lorna Antoniazzi to its roster as an Art Producer.
Antoniazzi previously worked at Roarty Digital, contributing to high‑profile projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and the Lego‑themed Fortnite crossover. Her background in both art direction and production pipelines is expected to bolster MDHR’s upcoming titles. Grand Games announced the appointment of Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager. Kutbay joins from Rollic, where she managed a portfolio of casual mobile games and helped drive user acquisition and retention strategies.
David Bailey has returned to 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 directorship at Sumo Digital, and now comes back to help steer licensing initiatives across the Warhammer franchise. "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 is now Account Director for U.S.
Operations at Second Stage. Murphy previously held dual roles as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong blend of operational and communications expertise. Amazon Luna has named Tim Coombs as Head of Brand Marketing. Coombs transitioned from Xbox, where he served as Director of Brand Management until July 2026 after joining the platform in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy.
Earlier in his career he helped launch Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and later led the Amazon Game Tech product marketing team. Erik Mogensen has exited Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for Digital Gaming.
Before that, he spent 23 years at Games Workshop, culminating in a role 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." 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 appointed Andrey Odintsov as Head of Marketing. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and currently works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various game studios. 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, who moved into the CEO role earlier this year. Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised the hire, stating, "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 named Karen Ionescu Digital Sales Manager. Ionescu's background includes sales leadership at Numskull Games, as well as stints 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." Swipe Right, a specialist agency for esports and gaming communications, promoted Hannah Barrett to Senior Account Executive after she joined as an Account Executive in December 2025.
Supercell's contracting team now includes Anni Pyy as Contract Manager. Pyy previously held the same position at Metacore for four years, overseeing legal agreements and partnership negotiations.
Fintech platform ZBD announced Nathan Solbrandt as Senior Vice President of Business Development. Solbrandt's prior roles include Senior Account Executive at Motorica and Vice President of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla.
Riot Games added Olivia Lee as Internal Events Producer. Lee previously coordinated internal events and programs, ensuring employee engagement and culture initiatives were delivered smoothly. Xsolla welcomed Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator.
Pritchard came from Playback Rewards, where she served as Account Performance Manager, focusing on client metrics and revenue optimisation. 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 Electronic Arts 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 Social Media Marketing Manager.
Richter previously managed social channels for Alaska Airlines, bringing a fresh consumer‑focused perspective to Nintendo's community outreach. Yotta Games hired narrative designer Dana Duffield. Duffield previously worked as Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment, where she crafted storylines for mobile and PC 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 in production, animation, and teaching game design at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone).
Roblox's Foundation AI team has been bolstered by Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger, who join 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 is now Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games.
Sudireddy previously managed product development on Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar. Finally, Joe Chard has taken the position of Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard's extensive background 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, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement within the gaming ecosystem, underscoring how companies continually seek fresh perspectives to drive innovation, expand audiences, and strengthen their market positions.