Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and role changes across the games sector can be a challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy 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 take on the role of Executive Vice President and 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.
Prior to this, she led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she headed 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 remarked. Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as an Art Producer. She previously worked as a producer at Roarty Digital, contributing to high‑profile projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and the Lego‑themed Fortnite collaboration.
Aysu Kutbay steps into the role of Product Manager at Grand Games, coming from a similar position at Rollic where she helped shape mobile titles and optimise user acquisition funnels. 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 to become Director of Business Affairs at Sumo Digital, and now returns to help steer licensing for the ever‑expansive Warhammer universes. "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 U.S. Operations at Second Stage. Before this, she simultaneously held the COO role and headed public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, gaining extensive experience in agency leadership and client management.
Tim Coombs takes the helm as Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs previously served as Director of Brand Management at Xbox until July 2026, after joining the division in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy.
His earlier Amazon 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 has exited 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 previously worked at Netflix, where he oversaw two shipped mobile titles – Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset – and spent five years at Riot Games developing creative content for the League of Legends franchise. Andrey Odintsov has been appointed 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 steps into the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO in January.
Lazarides brings a wealth of experience from his previous position as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe. Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised the appointment, noting that Lazarides' leadership will reinforce the studio’s player‑first strategy and help champion community‑driven creativity across Frontier's portfolio.
Karen Ionescu becomes Digital Sales Manager for Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu’s background includes sales leadership roles at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson highlighted her extensive commercial expertise and strong relationships across both retail and digital distribution channels.
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 takes on the role of Senior Vice President of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD. His prior experience includes senior account work at Motorica and a Vice President position in Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla.
Olivia Lee joins Riot Games as Internal Events Producer, building on her previous role as Associate Producer for internal events and programs within the company. 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 at Nintendo of America, transitioning from a Social Media Manager role at Alaska Airlines where she honed cross‑platform community engagement skills.
Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a Narrative Designer, after serving as Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment, where she contributed to story development for several indie titles. 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 said, "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 a stint as Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision and an earlier internship in business development at Rockstar. Joe Chard is named Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard previously held senior leadership roles at Jam City—including Vice President, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product—for six years, and has also worked in senior product capacities at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
These appointments reflect a broader trend of talent mobility within the interactive entertainment ecosystem, as seasoned professionals move between publishers, developers, and platform providers, bringing fresh perspectives and cross‑industry experience to their new roles. The influx of seasoned leaders into both established studios and emerging ventures underscores the sector’s continued growth and the increasing importance of strategic marketing, licensing, and community engagement in shaping the future of games.