Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the games sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel shifts. If you know of any recent appointments or transitions that belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, new employer, as well as the previous role 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 company’s global partnership strategy and revenue‑generation initiatives. "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 appointment, Gutnik led media, social, and analytics for Kia America, and she spent more than six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she directed 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 explained, underscoring her excitement about re‑joining the broader Amazon entertainment ecosystem.
Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as an Art Producer. Antoniazzi previously worked as a producer at Roarty Digital, contributing to high‑profile projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and the Lego Fortnite collaboration, where she helped coordinate art pipelines and ensure visual consistency across massive live‑service updates. Aysu Kutbay has taken on the role of Product Manager at Grand Games. Before this move, she served as a product manager at Rollic, where she was responsible for overseeing the lifecycle of several casual mobile titles, driving user‑acquisition strategies, and optimizing in‑app monetisation.
David Bailey returns to Games Workshop 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 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 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.
Murphy previously held dual roles as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, where she managed client relationships, oversaw operational scaling, and directed PR campaigns for indie developers. Tim Coombs steps into the position of Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs' background includes a stint as Director of Brand Management at Xbox until July 2026, after joining the console maker in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy.
Earlier in his career, he helped launch Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 as Product Marketing Manager and later led the Amazon Game Tech team as Senior Product Marketing Manager and Team Lead 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 role of 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, naming Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Transformers among the iconic properties he helped grow.
He hinted that his next professional chapter is still unwritten. Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as a Senior Producer. Rubin's most recent experience includes senior production work 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 intellectual property. Andrey Odintsov has been appointed Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and currently works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various game studios.
Dan Lazarides becomes Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides brings a wealth of experience from his previous role as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe, and he steps in following Jo Cooke’s promotion to CEO earlier this year. "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 role of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu's background includes sales leadership positions at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson praised her: "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. Barrett originally joined the firm as an Account Executive in December 2025 and has quickly risen through the ranks thanks to her strong client‑service skills. Supercell appoints Anni Pyy as Contract Manager.
Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, where she negotiated licensing deals and managed contractual relationships for mobile titles. Nathan Solbrandt becomes Senior Vice President of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD. Before this, Solbrandt was Senior Account Executive at Motorica and served as Vice President of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla.
Olivia Lee is now Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, having previously worked as Associate Producer for internal events and programs, where she coordinated large‑scale employee gatherings and community‑building initiatives. Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator after serving as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards, where she oversaw client KPI reporting and optimisation. 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. After a decade at the studio, she left for Electronic Arts in 2019 to head product and studio integrated communications. "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," Thompson said. Maddie Richter has been named Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America.
Richter previously managed social media for Alaska Airlines, where she crafted campaigns that increased follower engagement and brand awareness. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a Narrative Designer. Duffield's prior experience includes a senior narrative designer role at Series Entertainment, where she helped shape storylines for mobile and PC titles.
Yogscast Games, a UK publisher, announces three new hires: Charlotte Willis, Robin Mawhinney, and Charlotte Pang. Willis becomes PR and Influencer Manager after serving as Creator and Community Director at Diva Agency.
Mawhinney joins as Production Coordinator, previously a junior producer at Atelier 11. Pang takes the role of Publishing Coordinator; her background includes production, animation, and art work for Team Gramps and Queensguard, as well as teaching game design, animation, and coding 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.
"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," Holm explained. Sathvik Sudireddy joins Rockstar Games as Marketing Manager for Live Services. Sudireddy previously worked as a Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision, following an internship in business development at the developer. Joe Chard has been appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games.
Chard's résumé includes a six‑year stint 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 moves illustrate the dynamic nature of talent flow within the interactive entertainment industry, highlighting how experienced leaders continue to shape the future of games, media, and related technologies across a broad spectrum of companies.