Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the games sector can be a daunting task, which is why we regularly publish concise round‑ups of the most notable personnel changes. If you know of a recent appointment or a transition that belongs 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 development of revenue‑generating strategies and strategic alliances.
"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: "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 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," Gutnik explained, highlighting her enthusiasm for re‑engaging with the gaming audience.
Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer. Antoniazzi comes from Roarty Digital, where she produced work on high‑profile titles such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, bringing a strong background in collaborative art pipelines and visual direction. Aysu Kutbay has taken the product‑manager position at Grand Games, after previously steering product development at Rollic, where she helped launch several successful mobile titles. David Bailey returns to Games Workshop 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 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," he 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.
Murphy previously held dual roles as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a blend of operational and communications expertise. Tim Coombs becomes Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs previously served as Director of Brand Management at Xbox until July 2026, after joining the console maker in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy.
Earlier in his career he was Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and later Senior Product Marketing Manager and Team Lead 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. Prior to that, 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, naming Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Transformers among his highlights.
He added, "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 worked at Netflix, where he produced two mobile titles—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset. He also 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 previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and currently operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various gaming projects. Dan Lazarides steps into the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides formerly held the Senior Vice President of Marketing position at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO of Frontier in January.
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 becomes Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu previously served as Sales Manager at Numskull Games and has held roles at Nintendo and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson welcomed her, noting her extensive commercial experience and strong relationships across retail and digital channels. 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 partner contracts.
Nathan Solbrandt takes the title of Senior Vice President of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD. His prior experience includes senior account executive work at Motorica and a Vice President role in Business Development 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, where she coordinated employee engagement initiatives. Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator, after working as an Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards, where she focused on optimizing client 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 leaving in 2019 for Electronic Arts, where she led product and studio integrated communications.
She 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 has been hired as Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after serving as Social Media Manager for Alaska Airlines, where she managed brand‑voice strategy across multiple platforms. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer. Duffield previously held a Senior Narrative Designer role at Series Entertainment, contributing to story development and world‑building for several titles. Yogscast Games, a UK publisher, 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 (formerly Producer, Animator, and Artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and an instructor 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 Jars AI in 2023, an interactive AI platform that raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors.
Holm remarked, "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 becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games. He previously worked as 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's background 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.