Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and role changes across the gaming sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we put together periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel shifts. If you know of any appointments or transitions that belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company, and previous position to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Nate Nanzer has departed Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to take on 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. "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 added, "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. Gutnik previously led media, social, and analytics for Kia America, and before that she spent more than six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she oversaw digital and ad‑tech media initiatives.
"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. Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as an Art Producer. Antoniazzi comes from Roarty Digital, where she produced work on high‑profile titles such as Fortnite Battle Royale and the Lego Fortnite crossover. Aysu Kutbay has been appointed Product Manager at Grand Games, after serving in the same capacity at Rollic, where she helped steer several successful mobile releases.
David Bailey is back at Games Workshop, this time 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 returns 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 said.
"It's an incredible opportunity and it's great to be back in the fold working alongside great people." Liana Murphy steps into the role of Account Director for US Operations at Second Stage. Prior to this, Murphy simultaneously held the COO position and led public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a broad perspective on agency management and client strategy. Tim Coombs has taken the helm as Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs previously served as Director of Brand Management at Xbox until July 2026, having joined the console maker in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy. His earlier experience includes a stint as Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017, followed by senior product marketing leadership 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. Before 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. "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 held a senior producer role at Netflix, where he helped ship two mobile titles: Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset. He also spent five years at Riot Games, contributing to creative development across the League of Legends IP. Andrey Odintsov is appointed Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games.
Odintsov previously worked as User Acquisition Manager at Multicast Games and currently operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various gaming projects. Dan Lazarides becomes Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides arrives from Sega Europe, where he was Senior Vice President of Marketing, and succeeds Jo Cooke, who moved into the CEO role 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 takes the Digital Sales Manager position 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, overseeing licensing agreements and partnership contracts. Nathan Solbrandt steps into the role of SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD. Before joining ZBD, Solbrandt was Senior Account Executive at Motorica and served as Vice President of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla. Olivia Lee becomes Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, building on her prior experience as Associate Producer for internal events and programs within the company.
Ciarah Pritchard is hired as Account Coordinator at Xsolla, after previously 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. She left in 2019 for a senior communications role at Electronic Arts before coming back.
"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," she said. Maddie Richter takes on the Social Media Marketing Manager role at Nintendo of America, after serving as Social Media Manager for Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a Narrative Designer, following a senior narrative design position at Series Entertainment. Yogscast Games, a UK publisher, 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 a background in production, animation, and teaching game design at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone).
Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger have been added to Roblox's Foundation AI team to help develop the mobile‑first AI creation tool "Build in New Zealand." The duo co‑founded the AI interactive platform Jars AI in 2023 and 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 joins Rockstar Games as Marketing Manager for Live Services. Sudireddy previously worked as a Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision and began his career with an internship in business development at Rockstar. Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games.
Chard brings extensive experience, having served as Vice President, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product at Jam City for six years, as well as senior roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment. These appointments reflect the ongoing dynamism of the gaming industry, where talent moves between studios, publishers, and tech firms, bringing fresh perspectives and expertise to new challenges.
The cross‑pollination of skills—from brand marketing at console manufacturers to narrative design in indie studios—continues to fuel innovation and shape the experiences that players worldwide enjoy.