Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the games sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most notable personnel changes. If you know of a move that belongs in this list—whether it’s a new appointment, a transition, or a return—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 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. "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 at Amazon Gaming. Before this appointment, Gutnik led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and 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," she remarked.
Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer. Antoniazzi previously worked as a producer at Roarty Digital, contributing to high‑profile projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and the Lego‑themed Fortnite collaboration. Aysu Kutbay has taken on the role of Product Manager at Grand Games, coming from a similar position at Rollic where she helped shape the studio’s mobile portfolio. David Bailey is back at Games Workshop, this time as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing.
Bailey originally joined Games Workshop in 2019 as Senior Licensing Manager, left in 2021 to become Director of Business Affairs at Sumo Digital, and now returns to help drive licensing opportunities across the expansive 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 appointed Account Director for US Operations at Second Stage. Prior to this, Murphy simultaneously served as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, gaining extensive experience in agency leadership and client management.
Tim Coombs is now Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. He previously held the Director of Brand Management position at Xbox until July 2026, having joined Microsoft in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy. Earlier in his career, Coombs served as Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and later as Senior Product Marketing Manager and Team Lead for Amazon Game Tech until April 2020.
Erik Mogensen has exited Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for Digital Gaming. Before 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 recent experience includes senior production work at Netflix, where he helped launch two mobile titles—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset. He also spent five years at Riot Games, focusing on creative development for the League of Legends franchise.
Andrey Odintsov has been named Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. He 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 takes the reins as Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides came from Sega Europe, where he served as Senior Vice President of Marketing, and succeeds Jo Cooke, who moved into the CEO role in January. 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." Karen Ionescu becomes Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu previously managed sales at Numskull Games and has held 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." 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 spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore before moving to the Finnish mobile powerhouse.
Nathan Solbrandt steps into the role of Senior Vice President of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD. His background includes senior account work at Motorica and a Vice President position overseeing business development 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 serving as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards, where she focused on optimizing partner 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.
She left in 2019 for Electronic Arts, where she led product and studio integrated communications. Upon her return, Thompson said, "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 becomes Social Media Marketing Manager for Nintendo of America, transitioning from a role as Social Media Manager at Alaska Airlines where she oversaw brand engagement across multiple platforms.
Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a Narrative Designer, after serving as Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment, where she crafted storylines for several indie titles. Yogscast Games, the 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 stints at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger have joined Roblox's Foundation AI team to support the mobile‑first AI creation tool "Build" in New Zealand.
The duo co‑founded the interactive AI platform Jars AI in 2023 and raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors. Holm explained, "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 is now Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games. He previously worked as Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision after completing a business‑development internship at Rockstar. Joe Chard has been appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games.
Chard's prior experience 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 illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment industry, highlighting how experienced leaders continue to shape the future of games, media, and emerging technologies.