Keeping up with the constant flow of personnel changes in the video‑game sector can be a challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy hires, departures, and promotions. 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 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 announcement. "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. 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 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, emphasizing her excitement about re‑joining the broader Amazon ecosystem.
Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as an Art Producer. Antoniazzi’s most recent experience was as a producer at Roarty Digital, where she contributed to high‑profile projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and the Lego‑themed Fortnite crossover. Her background in large‑scale live‑service titles is expected to strengthen MDHR’s visual pipeline.
Aysu Kutbay has been appointed Product Manager at Grand Games. Kutbay previously served as product manager at Rollic, where she helped launch several successful mobile titles and refined the company’s data‑driven product development processes. David Bailey returns to Games Workshop, taking on the position of 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 comes back to help steer licensing for the ever‑expanding Warhammer universe. "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 steps into the role of Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage. Prior to this, Murphy simultaneously held the COO and Head of Public Relations positions at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a unique blend of operational and communications expertise.
Tim Coombs has been promoted to 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 held product marketing leadership roles for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech, where he helped shape the company’s early cloud‑gaming and developer‑tool offerings.
Erik Mogensen departs Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for Digital Gaming. Prior to his Hasbro stint, Mogensen 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," 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 a Senior Producer. Rubin previously held a senior producer role at Netflix, where he helped ship two mobile games tied to popular IPs: Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset. Before Netflix, he 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. Odintsov’s most recent work was as a user‑acquisition manager at Multicast Games, and he 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 served as Senior Vice President of Marketing for Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after she moved into the CEO role 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," said Cooke. "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 at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu previously managed sales at Numskull Games and has held positions at Nintendo and Rising Star Games, giving her a broad perspective on both retail and digital distribution channels.
"We're delighted to welcome Karen to Kalypso Media UK," said Managing Director Andrew Johnson. "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, where she oversaw licensing agreements and partnership contracts for the studio’s mobile portfolio.
Nathan Solbrandt steps into the role of Senior Vice President of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD. Solbrandt’s background includes senior account work at Motorica and a Vice President of Business Development position for the Americas at Xsolla.
Olivia Lee becomes Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, having previously served as Associate Producer for internal events and programs within the company. Ciarah Pritchard is hired as Account Coordinator at Xsolla, after working as an Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards.
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 a senior communications role at Electronic Arts before coming back.
"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 is appointed Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after previously managing social media for Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a Narrative Designer. Duffield most recently held the senior narrative designer title at Series Entertainment, where she crafted storylines for several indie titles.
Yogscast Games, a UK publisher, announces three new hires: Charlotte Willis, Robin Mawhinney, and Charlotte Pang. Willis becomes PR and Influencer Manager, coming from Diva Agency where she was Creator and Community Director. Mawhinney joins as Production Coordinator after a junior producer stint at Atelier 11, while Pang takes on the Publishing Coordinator role, bringing experience as a producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, as well as teaching game design, animation, and coding 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 platform’s mobile‑first AI creation tool, Build, in New Zealand.
The duo previously co‑founded Jars AI, an interactive AI platform, in 2023 and secured $3.5 million in funding from Google and other investors. "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," Holm remarked.
Sathvik Sudireddy joins Rockstar Games as Marketing Manager for Live Services. Sudireddy previously served as Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision and completed an internship in business development at Rockstar. Joe Chard is named Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games.
Chard brings a wealth of experience, having previously held the titles of Vice President, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product at Jam City for six years, as well as senior roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment. These appointments reflect the ongoing dynamism of the gaming ecosystem, where talent moves across studios, publishers, and tech companies, bringing fresh perspectives and reinforcing the industry’s rapid growth and innovation.