The games sector moves at a breakneck pace, and keeping up with the myriad hires, promotions, and departures can be a challenge. To help industry insiders stay informed, we publish regular round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel changes. If you know of a new appointment or a transition that belongs in this list, please forward the individual's name, new title, new employer, as well as their previous role and company to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. One of the headline moves this month sees Nate Nanzer departing Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to assume the role of Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games.
Nanzer’s time at Epic culminated in a senior position overseeing partnerships and monetisation, where he helped shape the company’s revenue strategies and alliance programmes. In his own words, “The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting. 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 deep gratitude to his former colleagues, noting that he will continue to cheer on the Epic team from the sidelines.
Amazon Gaming also announced a fresh face at the helm of its media operations: Julia Gutnik has been appointed Head of Media. Gutnik brings a blend of automotive and entertainment experience, having most recently served as Head of Media, Social & Analytics at Kia America. Prior to that, she spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she led 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 said, underscoring her enthusiasm for re‑engaging with the gaming audience.
Studio MDHR welcomed Lorna Antoniazzi as an Art Producer. Antoniazzi previously worked at Roarty Digital, contributing to high‑profile titles such as Fortnite Battle Royale and the Lego Fortnite crossover, giving her a solid background in large‑scale live‑service production pipelines. Grand Games added Aysu Kutbay to its leadership team as Product Manager.
Kutbay joins from Rollic, where she oversaw product strategy for several mobile titles, positioning her to drive Grand Games’ upcoming releases. In a notable homecoming, David Bailey has re‑joined Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey originally entered Games Workshop in 2019 as Senior Licensing Manager, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now returns to the Warhammer universe.
He remarked, “It’s a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here. It’s an incredible opportunity and it’s great to be back in the fold working alongside great people.” Second Stage announced Liana Murphy as Account Director for its U.S.
operations. Murphy previously balanced dual responsibilities as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a rare blend of operational and communications expertise.
Amazon Luna’s branding receives a boost with Tim Coombs stepping in as Head of Brand Marketing. Coombs previously directed 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 and later led product marketing for Amazon Game Tech. Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast said farewell to Erik Mogensen, who departs after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for Digital Gaming.
Mogensen’s résumé includes a 23‑year stint at Games Workshop, where he culminated as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing. Reflecting on his career, he said, “It’s not lost on me how special it’s been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands – 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.” Blizzard Entertainment bolstered its production ranks by hiring Ryan Rubin as Senior Producer. Rubin’s background spans senior production roles at Netflix—where he helped ship mobile adaptations of Squid Game and Selling Sunset—as well as a five‑year creative development tenure at Riot Games on the League of Legends franchise.
Battlestate Games appointed Andrey Odintsov as Head of Marketing. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and currently operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various game studios.
Frontier Developments welcomed Dan Lazarides as Chief Marketing Officer. Lazarides arrives from Sega Europe, where he served as Senior Vice President of Marketing, and replaces Jo Cooke following her promotion to CEO.
Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised the hire, stating, “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.” Kalypso Media UK named Karen Ionescu Digital Sales Manager. Ionescu’s prior experience 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.” Swipe Right, a specialist agency for esports and gaming communications, promoted Hannah Barrett to Senior Account Executive after she joined as an Account Executive in December 2025. Supercell added Anni Pyy as Contract Manager. Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, where she managed licensing agreements and partnership contracts.
Fintech platform ZBD announced Nathan Solbrandt as SVP of Business Development. Solbrandt’s background includes senior account work at Motorica and a vice‑presidential stint overseeing business development for the Americas at Xsolla. Riot Games expanded its internal events team by hiring Olivia Lee as Internal Events Producer. Lee previously served as Associate Producer for internal events and programs, coordinating large‑scale employee gatherings and community‑focused initiatives.
Xsolla welcomed Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator. Pritchard comes from Playback Rewards, where she was an Account Performance Manager, responsible for client satisfaction and revenue optimisation.
Bethesda re‑engaged Tracey Thompson as Vice President of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, rose to Associate VP of Communications, left for EA in 2019, and now returns to steer communications for some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment.
Nintendo of America appointed Maddie Richter as Social Media Marketing Manager. Richter previously managed social channels for Alaska Airlines, bringing a fresh consumer‑focused perspective to Nintendo’s community outreach. Narrative designer Dana Duffield joined Yotta Games after senior narrative work at Series Entertainment, where she helped craft storylines for mobile and PC titles.
Yogscast Games announced 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). Roblox’s Foundation AI team welcomed Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger 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 to develop interactive AI platforms.
Rockstar Games added Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager for Live Services. Sudireddy previously managed product development on Call of Duty at Activision and began his career with a business‑development internship at Rockstar. Finally, Netflix Games appointed Joe Chard as Lead Product Manager.
Chard’s résumé includes 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.