Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the games sector can be a real challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves. If you know of a change that belongs in this list—new appointments, role changes, or notable exits—please forward the name, new title, new company, and previous position to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. One of the headline changes this month is the departure of Nate Nanzer from Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure.
Nanzer will take on the role of Executive Vice President, head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. At Epic, he spent several years climbing the ladder, most recently holding the title of 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 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 notable appointment, Julia Gutnik has been named Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Gutnik previously led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent more than six years within Amazon's own ecosystem, holding senior roles at Prime Video and Amazon Studios as head of digital and ad‑tech media. "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," she 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‑themed Fortnite crossover.
Grand Games announced Aysu Kutbay as its new product manager; Kutbay previously oversaw product management at Rollic, a mobile‑gaming publisher known for casual titles. Games Workshop welcomed back David Bailey 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 for the ever‑expanding Warhammer universes. "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." Second Stage named Liana Murphy as Account Director for U.S. operations.
Murphy previously juggled the COO position and head of public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, respectively. Amazon Luna appointed Tim Coombs as Head of Brand Marketing. Coombs arrived from Xbox, where he served as Director of Brand Management until July 2026 after joining the division 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 goodbye 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, most recently as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing. Reflecting on his time with iconic franchises, 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 added Ryan Rubin as a Senior Producer. Rubin's background includes senior production roles at Netflix, where he helped ship mobile adaptations of Squid Game and Selling Sunset, as well as five years at Riot Games focusing on creative development for the League of Legends IP. Battlestate Games appointed Andrey Odintsov as Head of Marketing; Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant.
Frontier Developments announced Dan Lazarides as its new Chief Marketing Officer, succeeding Jo Cooke, who moved into the CEO role earlier this year. Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe. 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 introduced Karen Ionescu as Digital Sales Manager. Ionescu's previous roles include sales management at Numskull Games and positions at Nintendo and Rising Star Games.
Managing Director Andrew Johnson said, "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, an esports and gaming communications agency, promoted Hannah Barrett to Senior Account Executive after she joined as an account executive in December 2025. Supercell named Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously held the same title at Metacore for four years. Fintech platform ZBD appointed Nathan Solbrandt as SVP of Business Development.
Solbrandt's background includes senior account work at Motorica and a vice‑president role at Xsolla for the Americas. Riot Games added Olivia Lee as Internal Events Producer, building on her prior experience as an associate producer for internal 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 returns to help shape messaging for some of the industry's most beloved franchises. Nintendo of America hired Maddie Richter as Social Media Marketing Manager; she previously managed social channels for Alaska Airlines.
Yotta Games brought on narrative designer Dana Duffield, who came from a senior narrative role at Series Entertainment. The Yogscast Games publishing arm revealed three new hires: Charlotte Willis as PR and Influencer Manager (formerly Creator and Community Director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney as Production Coordinator (previous 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 expanded with Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger, both co‑founders of the AI interactive platform Jars AI, which raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors in 2023. They will help advance Roblox's mobile‑first AI creation tool, Build, in New Zealand. Rockstar Games appointed Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager for Live Services. Sudireddy previously managed product development on Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar.
Netflix Games named Joe Chard as Lead Product Manager; 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 Disney and Warner Bros.