Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and role changes across the games sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that 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 position and employer 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 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 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." Julia Gutnik has been appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming.
Prior to this role, Gutnik led media, social, and analytics at Kia America, and she previously spent more than six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she headed 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.
Her extensive background in both automotive and entertainment advertising positions her to drive Amazon Gaming's media strategy across multiple platforms. Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer. Antoniazzi comes from Roarty Digital, where she contributed to high‑profile projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, honing her skills in art pipeline management and cross‑functional collaboration. Aysu Kutbay has been named Product Manager at Grand Games.
Kutbay previously held the same title at Rollic, where she oversaw the lifecycle of several mobile titles and helped grow the company's user base through data‑driven feature development. David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing.
Bailey first joined Games Workshop in 2019 as Senior Licensing Manager, left in 2021 to become Director of Business Affairs at Sumo Digital, and now comes back to 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, US Operations at Second Stage.
Murphy previously balanced dual responsibilities as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, gaining experience in operational leadership and media relations. Tim Coombs steps into the role of Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. Before joining Amazon, Coombs served as Director of Brand Management at Xbox until July 2026, having risen through the ranks from Senior Manager for Brand Strategy in 2020.
His earlier experience includes product marketing leadership for Amazon Lumberyard (2017) and senior product marketing management 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.
Mogensen spent 23 years at Games Workshop, most recently as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing, where he helped expand the company's licensing portfolio across tabletop and digital domains. "It's not lost on me how special it's been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands," he 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 Senior Producer.
Rubin previously led production on two Netflix mobile titles—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and spent five years at Riot Games, contributing to creative development across the League of Legends franchise. 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 gaming projects. Dan Lazarides becomes Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke after her elevation to CEO in January.
Lazarides brings a wealth of experience from his former role as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe. Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised his 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." Karen Ionescu has been hired as Digital Sales Manager for Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu's background includes sales leadership at Numskull Games, as well as roles 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." Hannah Barrett was promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining as an Account Executive in December 2025. Supercell appointed Anni Pyy as Contract Manager. Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, where she managed legal and commercial agreements for multiple mobile titles.
Nathan Solbrandt takes on 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 position overseeing business development for the Americas at Xsolla.
Olivia Lee joins Riot Games as Internal Events Producer, building on her prior role as Associate Producer for internal events and programs within the company. Ciarah Pritchard becomes Account Coordinator at Xsolla after serving as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards, where she focused on optimizing publisher 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 departing for Electronic Arts in 2019.
She remarked, "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." Maddie Richter has been named Social Media Marketing Manager for Nintendo of America, moving from a Social Media Manager role at Alaska Airlines where she oversaw brand engagement across multiple channels. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, after serving as Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment, where she crafted storylines for several indie 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 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 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. Holm said, "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 joins Rockstar Games as Marketing Manager, Live Services.
He previously worked as a Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision and completed an internship in business development at Rockstar. Joe Chard has been appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games.
Chard brings extensive experience from 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 dynamic period of talent movement across the industry, with seasoned veterans taking on new challenges and emerging leaders stepping into pivotal positions that will shape the future of gaming and interactive entertainment.