Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions across the gaming sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather all the noteworthy personnel moves in one place. If your organization has recent appointments or transitions that belong in this list, please forward the name of the appointee, their new title and company, as well as their previous role and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. In a major leadership change, former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been installed as chief executive officer of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group.
Board’s resume includes a stint as business development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine, a role he assumed after joining Epic in 2017 as a developer support manager. Earlier in his career he held senior positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a breadth of experience across both classic and modern development pipelines. "Ben is a true industry heavy‑hitter whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said CodeDev Group founder and CEO Myke Parrot.
"He understands game development from every angle – from coding engine scripts to managing developer relations for the world’s biggest platforms and engines. Bringing Ben in as CEO of The Performance Guys sends an unmistakable message to the market: if your game has a performance problem on any engine, we have the best team on the planet to fix it." James Turner has re‑joined The Pokémon Company International, this time as Creative Director of Pokémon Art and Design. Turner originally left Game Freak in 2022 to co‑found All Possible Futures with Jonathan Biddle; the studio’s debut title, The Plucky Squire, launched in September 2024 and earned praise for its inventive mechanics and whimsical art style. His return to the Pokémon franchise signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand cohesion across the global franchise.
Respawn Entertainment announced the promotion of Billy King to lead concept artist. King arrives from ZeniMax Online Studios, where he served as lead concept artist, and previously held a senior concept role at Amazon Games. His portfolio includes work on large‑scale live‑service titles and narrative‑driven projects, making him a valuable addition to Respawn’s creative team. Team17 has hired Sam Duncombe as brand marketing manager.
Duncombe moves from Warner Bros. Discovery, where he was product manager for games and film, bringing experience in cross‑media brand strategy that should help Team17 expand its reach in both the console and streaming markets. Loom Games welcomed Cansu Karahan Can as people and culture manager.
Can previously oversaw people and culture initiatives at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), focusing on employee well‑being and inclusive workplace practices—expertise that will support Loom’s growing development studio. At Fellow Traveler, Christopher Wulf has been promoted to senior business development manager. Wulf, who joined the company in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, giving him a strong background in partnership cultivation and event coordination.
Wizards of the Coast named Julie Derhak a producer for its Dungeons & Dragons line. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite collaboration, experience that will be invaluable as D&D continues to expand into digital experiences. Mojang Studios appointed Alvaro Menéndez as international social lead.
Menéndez comes from Epic Games Madrid, where he served as senior marketing manager, and will now oversee global community engagement for titles such as Minecraft. Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to senior audio designer.
Johnsson originally joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since contributed to several high‑profile projects, earning a reputation for innovative sound design. After a seven‑year tenure at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departed to become executive vice president and head of commercial & marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent role at Epic was 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." Julia Gutnik has taken the helm as head of media at Amazon Gaming.
Gutnik previously led media, social, and analytics for Kia America, and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios in digital and ad‑tech media roles. "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 explained.
Studio MDHR added Lorna Antoniazzi as art producer. Antoniazzi previously worked at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, experience that aligns well with Studio MDHR’s focus on distinctive visual styles. Grand Games appointed Aysu Kutbay as product manager, after her tenure at Rollic where she oversaw product strategy for several mobile titles. Games Workshop announced the return of David Bailey as lead commercial manager – licensing.
Bailey first joined Games Workshop 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 universe. "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," Bailey remarked.
Second Stage named Liana Murphy account director for U.S. operations.
Murphy previously held concurrent COO and head of public relations positions at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong operational background. Amazon Luna appointed Tim Coombs as head of brand marketing.
Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026, after joining Microsoft in 2020 as senior manager for brand strategy. Earlier, he served as product marketing manager for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and later led product marketing for Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen exited Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming.
Prior to that, he spent 23 years at Games Workshop, culminating 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, noting his excitement for the next chapter.
Blizzard Entertainment added Ryan Rubin as senior producer. Rubin previously produced two mobile titles for Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and spent five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends franchise. Battlestate Games named Andrey Odintsov head of marketing. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for games.
Frontier Developments hired Dan Lazarides as chief marketing officer. Lazarides comes from Sega Europe, where he served as senior vice‑president of marketing, and replaces Jo Cooke following her promotion to CEO. "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," Cooke said. Kalypso Media UK appointed Karen Ionescu as digital sales manager.
Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing director Andrew Johnson praised her commercial expertise and extensive retail and digital channel relationships.
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 hired Anni Pyy as contract manager; Pyy previously spent four years in the same role at Metacore. Fintech platform ZBD named Nathan Solbrandt senior vice‑president of business development.
Solbrandt previously worked as senior account executive at Motorica and vice‑president of business development for the Americas at Xsolla. Riot Games added Olivia Lee as internal events producer, building on her prior experience as associate producer for internal events and programs.
Xsolla welcomed Ciarah Pritchard as account coordinator, after she served as account performance manager at Playback Rewards. Bethesda re‑appointed 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 iconic franchises. Nintendo of America named Maddie Richter social media marketing manager.
Richter previously managed social media for Alaska Airlines, bringing a fresh perspective to Nintendo's community outreach. Yotta Games hired narrative designer Dana Duffield, who previously served as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment. 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 (formerly junior producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang as publishing coordinator (formerly producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and instructor at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Roblox's Foundation AI team welcomed Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger 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. "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 said. Rockstar Games appointed Sathvik Sudireddy as marketing manager for live services. Sudireddy previously worked as product manager on Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar.
Netflix Games named Joe Chard lead product manager. Chard previously held senior roles at Jam City, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, bringing extensive product and studio leadership experience to Netflix's gaming division. These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement within the video‑game industry, underscoring how companies continuously seek fresh expertise to drive innovation, improve performance, and expand their market reach.