Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and role changes in the games sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups to 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 company, as well as their previous role and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
Nate Nanzer has departed Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to assume the position 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 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 for Amazon Gaming.
Gutnik previously led media, social, and analytics for Kia America, and before that she spent more than six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she oversaw 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 explained. Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as an Art Producer. Antoniazzi comes from Roarty Digital, where she produced content for high‑profile titles such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, bringing a strong background in both art direction and production pipelines.
Aysu Kutbay has taken on the role of Product Manager at Grand Games, after previously serving in the same capacity at Rollic, where she helped launch several successful mobile titles and refined her expertise in user acquisition and product lifecycle management. 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 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. Prior to this, Murphy simultaneously held the COO role and headed public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a blend of operational and communications experience.
Tim Coombs steps into the position 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. Earlier in his career he was Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and later 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 previous senior producer role at Netflix saw him 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 franchise.
Andrey Odintsov has been named Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. Before this appointment, Odintsov worked as User Acquisition Manager at Multicast Games and currently operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various gaming projects. Dan Lazarides takes the helm as Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides previously held the Senior Vice President of Marketing role at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke, who moved into the CEO position at Frontier in January.
"We are delighted to welcome Dan to Frontier, who brings with him a wealth of experience on some of the industry's largest IP," Cooke said. "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 for Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu's background includes a sales manager role at Numskull Games and previous positions at Nintendo and Rising Star Games.
Managing Director Andrew Johnson praised her, stating, "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, overseeing licensing agreements and partnership contracts. Nathan Solbrandt steps into the role of SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD. His prior experience includes senior account executive work at Motorica and a Vice President of Business Development position for the Americas at Xsolla.
Olivia Lee is now Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, having previously served as Associate Producer for internal events and programs, where she coordinated large‑scale employee gatherings and community initiatives. Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator after working as an Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards, where she focused on optimizing client revenue streams.
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 Electronic Arts, where she led 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 for Nintendo of America. Before this, she managed social media for Alaska Airlines, where she honed her skills in audience engagement and brand storytelling. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a Narrative Designer, after serving as Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment, contributing to story development and world‑building for multiple titles.
Yogscast Games, a UK publisher, 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 joined Roblox's Foundation AI team to help advance the platform's 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 becomes Marketing Manager for Live Services at Rockstar Games.
He previously worked as Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision, following an internship in business development at Rockstar. Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard's background 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 appointments reflect a vibrant period of talent movement across the industry, with seasoned veterans returning to familiar homes, fresh faces stepping into leadership roles, and cross‑company collaborations shaping the future of interactive entertainment.