Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and role changes in the games sector can be a challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most notable movements. If you know of any recent appointments or transitions that belong in this list, 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 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 across the company's portfolio.
"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 also expressed 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's background includes a stint as Head of Media, Social & Analytics at Kia America, where she directed global media strategies for the automotive brand. Prior to that, she spent over six years within Amazon's own ecosystem, holding senior roles at Prime Video and Amazon Studios as Head of Digital and AdTech Media. "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. Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer.
She previously worked at Roarty Digital, contributing to high‑profile projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and the Lego Fortnite crossover, where she managed art pipelines and coordinated between creative and technical teams. Aysu Kutbay has taken on the Product Manager position at Grand Games, bringing experience from her former role as Product Manager at Rollic, where she oversaw the lifecycle of several successful mobile titles. 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 has been appointed Account Director for US Operations at Second Stage. Murphy most recently served concurrently as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, where she led agency growth and client communications.
Tim Coombs becomes Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs previously held the Director of Brand Management role at Xbox until July 2026, after joining the console maker in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy.
Earlier in his career he 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. 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, culminating in the Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing position. "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 Senior Producer.
Rubin previously worked at Netflix, where he was Senior Producer on two shipped mobile experiences: 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 has been appointed Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. Before this, he was User Acquisition Manager at Multicast Games and currently operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various game projects.
Dan Lazarides steps into the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after she became Frontier's CEO in January. Cooke praised the hire: "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." Karen Ionescu becomes Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu's résumé includes sales leadership roles at Numskull Games, 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, handling licensing agreements and partnership contracts for the studio's portfolio. Nathan Solbrandt takes on the SVP of Business Development role at fintech platform ZBD.
He previously worked as 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, having previously been an 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 in 2019 for a stint as Head of Product and Studio Integrated Communications at Electronic Arts. She says, "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 at Nintendo of America, after previously managing social channels for Alaska Airlines.
Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, following a senior narrative design role 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 (previous junior producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang as Publishing Coordinator (who has experience as producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and has taught game design, animation, and coding at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger become part of Roblox's Foundation AI team, focusing on the mobile‑first AI creation tool Build in New Zealand.
The duo co‑founded Jars AI in 2023, an interactive AI platform that raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors. Holm explained, "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.
He previously worked as Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision after completing a business development internship at the developer. Joe Chard is named Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard's background includes a six‑year tenure 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 reflect the ongoing dynamism of the interactive entertainment industry, where talent moves across studios, platforms, and even sectors, bringing fresh perspectives and experience to new challenges. The cross‑pollination of expertise—from automotive media to game publishing, from AI startups to legacy tabletop brands—underscores how interconnected the broader entertainment ecosystem has become. As companies continue to expand into live services, streaming, and AI‑driven creation tools, the demand for leaders who can navigate both creative and commercial landscapes remains high.
This round‑up captures a snapshot of that momentum as we head into the final quarter of 2026.