Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and role changes across the games sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most notable moves in one place. If you know of a colleague or a senior leader who has recently taken on a new position, please forward the name, new title, new company, and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
Nate Nanzer has announced his departure from 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 responsibilities, 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 in his statement.
"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, noting, "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." In another high‑profile appointment, Julia Gutnik has been named Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Gutnik brings a rich background in media and analytics, having previously led media, social, and analytics functions at Kia America.
Prior to that she spent more than six years within Amazon’s own ecosystem, heading digital and ad‑tech media for Prime Video and Amazon Studios. "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. Studio MDHR has added Lorna Antoniazzi as an Art Producer.
Antoniazzi comes from Roarty Digital, where she contributed to high‑profile projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and the Lego Fortnite collaboration, gaining experience in large‑scale production pipelines and cross‑functional art direction. Grand Games welcomed Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager. Kutbay previously managed product development at Rollic, where she oversaw mobile game portfolios and helped drive user‑acquisition strategies.
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 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now returns to help steer licensing initiatives across the Warhammer universe.
"It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," Bailey said. "It's an incredible opportunity and it's great to be back in the fold working alongside great people." Liana Murphy has been promoted to Account Director for U.S. Operations at Second Stage. Murphy previously juggled the roles of COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong foundation in both operational leadership and external communications.
Amazon Luna has appointed Tim Coombs as Head of Brand Marketing. Coombs most recently served as Director of Brand Management at Xbox, a position he held from 2020 until July 2026, after earlier stints as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy.
His earlier Amazon experience includes a product marketing role for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and senior product marketing leadership for Amazon Game Tech until April 2020. Erik Mogensen announced his departure from Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for Digital Gaming. Prior to that, Mogensen spent 23 years at Games Workshop, culminating 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 has added Ryan Rubin as a Senior Producer.
Rubin previously led senior production on two mobile titles for Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and spent five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends franchise. Battlestate Games named Andrey Odintsov Head of Marketing.
Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for gaming clients. Frontier Developments announced Dan Lazarides as its new Chief Marketing Officer, succeeding Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO in January. Lazarides arrives from Sega Europe, where he was Senior Vice President of Marketing. Frontier’s CEO Jo Cooke praised the appointment, 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.
This strategy is paramount to our position as a genre‑leading creative management simulation studio and ensures that we continue to create incredible games." Kalypso Media UK has appointed Karen Ionescu as Digital Sales Manager. Ionescu’s résumé includes sales leadership roles at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson welcomed her, noting her extensive commercial experience and strong retailer and digital channel relationships.
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, overseeing licensing agreements and partnership contracts.
Fintech platform ZBD named Nathan Solbrandt Senior Vice President of Business Development. Solbrandt’s background includes senior account work at Motorica and a Vice‑President role for business development at Xsolla covering the Americas region.
Riot Games hired Olivia Lee as Internal Events Producer, building on her prior experience as Associate Producer for internal events and programs. Xsolla welcomed Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator after she served as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards. Bethesda announced the return of 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 comes back to help shape messaging for some of the most iconic entertainment franchises.
Nintendo of America appointed Maddie Richter as Social Media Marketing Manager. Richter previously managed social media for Alaska Airlines, bringing a fresh consumer‑focused perspective to Nintendo’s community channels. Yotta Games added narrative talent Dana Duffield as a Narrative Designer. Duffield previously held a senior narrative role at Series Entertainment, contributing to story development and world‑building for multiple titles.
The Yogscast Games publishing arm announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis as PR and Influencer Manager (formerly Creator and Community Director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney as Production Coordinator (formerly 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 previously co‑founded Jars AI, an interactive AI platform that secured $3.5 million in funding from Google and other investors in 2023.
Rockstar Games appointed Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager for Live Services. Sudireddy previously managed product responsibilities on Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar. Netflix Games named Joe Chard as Lead Product Manager. Chard brings extensive leadership experience, having served as Vice President, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product at Jam City for six years, as well as senior roles at Disney and Warner Bros.
Entertainment. These appointments reflect the dynamic nature of talent movement within the gaming ecosystem, highlighting how experience across entertainment, technology, and consumer brands continues to shape the industry's future.