Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions across the games sector can be a daunting task. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most notable personnel changes in one place. If your organization has experienced a recent appointment or transition that you think belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company, as well as the previous role and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
Nate Nanzer is departing 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.
"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, "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.
Prior to this appointment, Gutnik led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent more than six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she oversaw 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 said. Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer.
She previously worked as a producer at Roarty Digital, contributing to high‑profile titles such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. Aysu Kutbay has taken on the role of Product Manager at Grand Games, after serving in the same capacity at Rollic where she helped launch several successful mobile titles. 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 drive new licensing opportunities within the expansive 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 U.S. Operations at Second Stage.
Before this, she simultaneously held the COO position and headed public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing. Tim Coombs steps into the role of 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 and later as Senior Product Marketing Manager and Team Lead 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. Prior to 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's background includes senior production roles at Netflix, where he helped ship mobile adaptations of Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, as well as five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends franchise. Andrey Odintsov has been named Head 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 becomes Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO in January. Lazarides brings extensive experience from his prior role as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe. Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised the appointment, stating that Lazarides' deep industry knowledge will sustain the studio's upward momentum and reinforce its player‑first publishing strategy. Karen Ionescu takes on the Digital Sales Manager position at Kalypso Media UK.
Ionescu's résumé includes sales leadership at Numskull Games, as well as roles at Nintendo and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson welcomed her, noting her strong retail and digital relationships. 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, handling licensing agreements and partnership contracts.
Nathan Solbrandt is named Senior Vice President of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD. His prior experience includes senior account work at Motorica and a Vice President role for business development at Xsolla covering the Americas region. Olivia Lee joins Riot Games as Internal Events Producer, building on her earlier role as Associate Producer for internal events and programs. Ciarah Pritchard becomes Account Coordinator at Xsolla, 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 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." Maddie Richter is appointed Social Media Marketing Manager for Nintendo of America, transitioning from a Social Media Manager role at Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a Narrative Designer, after serving as Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment. Yogscast Games 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 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 been added to 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 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, after product management work on Call of Duty at Activision and an internship in business development at the same studio. Joe Chard becomes Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games, following a six‑year tenure 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, departures, and promotions illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment sector, highlighting how experience across diverse brands and platforms continues to shape the industry's future.