Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions and departures across the games sector can be a real challenge. To make it easier for readers and industry watchers, we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel changes. If your organisation has news about a new appointment or a transition, feel free to forward the details—name, new title, new company, plus previous role and employer—to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. In this edition we spotlight a broad spectrum of movements, from senior executives at major publishers to creative leads at indie studios.
Below you will find a concise summary of each change, followed by additional context to help you understand why these moves matter for the wider industry. **Ben Board – CEO, The Performance Guys (CodeDev Group)** Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has taken the helm of CodeDev Group’s performance‑optimisation arm, The Performance Guys. Board joined Epic in 2017 as a developer‑support manager, later becoming business‑development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine.
His résumé also includes leadership positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios and BossAlien. CodeDev Group CEO Myke Parrot praised Board as an "industry heavy‑hitter" whose technical credibility spans everything from engine scripting to developer‑relations on the world’s biggest platforms. Parrot added that Board’s appointment signals a clear market message: any game suffering from performance bottlenecks can rely on the best optimisation team on the planet.
**James Turner – Creative Director, Pokémon Art & Design (The Pokémon Company International)** James Turner has re‑joined The Pokémon Company International as the creative director overseeing art and design for the franchise. After leaving Game Freak in 2022, Turner co‑founded All Possible Futures with Jonathan Biddle, a studio that launched its debut title, *The Plucky Squire*, in September 2024. His return brings a blend of indie‑maker sensibility and deep brand knowledge back to the core Pokémon team. **Billy King – Lead Concept Artist (Respawn Entertainment)** Billy King steps into the role of lead concept artist at Respawn Entertainment.
King previously held the same title at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, contributing to visual development on several high‑profile projects. His experience with large‑scale online worlds is expected to enrich Respawn’s upcoming titles. **Sam Duncombe – Brand Marketing Manager (Team17)** Sam Duncombe moves to Team17 as brand marketing manager after a stint as product manager for games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery.
Duncombe will oversee brand strategy and partnership initiatives for the UK‑based publisher known for titles such as *Worms* and *The Escapists*. **Cansu Karahan Can – People & Culture Manager (Loom Games)** Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games to lead people and culture initiatives. She previously performed the same function at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she helped shape employee experience and organisational development. **Christopher Wulf – Senior Business Development Manager (Fellow Traveller)** Christopher Wulf has been promoted within Fellow Traveller to senior business development manager.
Wulf, who entered the company in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, bringing a strong network of industry contacts to his new role. **Julie Derhak – Producer, Dungeons & Dragons (Wizards of the Coast)** Julie Derhak becomes a producer for the *Dungeons & Dragons* line at Wizards of the Coast. Prior to this, she spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the *Lego Fortnite* collaboration, giving her a solid background in large‑scale live‑service production. **Alvaro Menéndez – International Social Lead (Mojang Studios)** Alvaro Menéndez is appointed international social lead at Mojang Studios.
He previously served as senior marketing manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw community engagement across multiple regions. **Linus Johnsson – Senior Audio Designer (Frontier Developments)** Linus Johnsson receives a promotion to senior audio designer at Frontier Developments. Johnsson joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since contributed to the soundscapes of titles such as *Planet Coaster* and *Jurassic World Evolution*. **Nate Nanzer – EVP, Head of Commercial & Marketing (Paramount Games)** After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to become executive vice‑president and head of commercial and marketing at Paramount Games.
At Epic, Nanzer most recently served as senior vice‑president of partnerships and monetisation. He described the move as an irresistible opportunity to help shape Paramount’s next wave of gaming experiences, while also expressing gratitude to his former colleagues. **Julia Gutnik – Head of Media (Amazon Gaming)** Julia Gutnik returns to the Amazon family as head of media for Amazon Gaming. Her previous role was head of media, social and analytics at Kia America, and she also spent six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios overseeing digital and ad‑tech media operations.
Gutnik says she is excited to get back to her entertainment roots after a brief foray into the automotive sector. **Lorna Antoniazzi – Art Producer (Studio MDHR)** Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as an art producer. She formerly worked at Roarty Digital, where she contributed to *Fortnite Battle Royale* and *Lego Fortnite*. **Aysu Kutbay – Product Manager (Grand Games)** Aysu Kutbay becomes product manager at Grand Games after serving in the same capacity at Rollic, where she helped launch several successful mobile titles.
**David Bailey – Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing (Games Workshop)** David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as lead commercial manager for licensing. Bailey originally joined Games Workshop in 2019 as senior licensing manager, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now comes back to help drive new licensing opportunities across the Warhammer franchise.
**Liana Murphy – Account Director, US Operations (Second Stage)** Liana Murphy is appointed account director for US operations at Second Stage. Previously she held dual roles as COO and head of public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing. **Tim Coombs – Head of Brand Marketing (Amazon Luna)** Tim Coombs takes charge of brand marketing for Amazon Luna.
Before this, Coombs spent six years at Xbox, rising to director of brand management after joining in 2020 as senior manager for brand strategy. He also held product marketing positions for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech. **Erik Mogensen – Departed Hasbro & Wizards of the Coast** Erik Mogensen leaves 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, most recently as head of business development and consumer product licensing.
Mogensen reflected on the privilege of working on beloved brands such as Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering and Transformers. **Ryan Rubin – Senior Producer (Blizzard Entertainment)** Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as a senior producer. Rubin previously produced two mobile titles for Netflix—*Squid Game: Unleashed* and *Selling Sunset*—and spent five years at Riot Games developing creative content for the *League of Legends* IP.
**Andrey Odintsov – Head of Marketing (Battlestate Games)** Andrey Odintsov is named head of marketing at Battlestate Games. He previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for gaming studios. **Dan Lazarides – Chief Marketing Officer (Frontier Developments)** Dan Lazarides steps into the CMO role at Frontier Developments after serving as senior vice‑president of marketing at Sega Europe.
He replaces Jo Cooke, who moved to the CEO position in January. Cooke highlighted Lazarides’s experience with large‑scale IPs and his player‑first mindset as key to Frontier’s continued growth.
**Karen Ionescu – Digital Sales Manager (Kalypso Media UK)** Karen Ionescu becomes digital sales manager for Kalypso Media UK. Her background includes sales roles at Numskull Games, Nintendo and Rising Star Games, giving her a broad perspective on both retail and digital distribution channels. **Hannah Barrett – Senior Account Executive (Swipe Right)** Hannah Barrett is promoted to senior account executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right. She originally joined the firm as an account executive in December 2025.
**Anni Pyy – Contract Manager (Supercell)** Supercell appoints Anni Pyy as contract manager. Pyy previously spent four years handling contracts at Metacore. **Nathan Solbrandt – SVP of Business Development (ZBD)** Nathan Solbrandt becomes senior vice‑president of business development at fintech platform ZBD.
He formerly worked as senior account executive at Motorica and as vice‑president of business development for the Americas at Xsolla. **Olivia Lee – Internal Events Producer (Riot Games)** Olivia Lee joins Riot Games as internal events producer, having previously served as associate producer for internal programs. **Ciarah Pritchard – Account Coordinator (Xsolla)** Ciarah Pritchard is appointed account coordinator at Xsolla after working as an account performance manager at Playback Rewards.
**Tracey Thompson – VP of Communications (Bethesda)** Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as vice‑president of communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, later moved to EA in 2019, and now comes back to support the studio’s flagship franchises. **Maddie Richter – Social Media Marketing Manager (Nintendo of America)** Maddie Richter becomes social media marketing manager for Nintendo of America, transitioning from a role as social media manager at Alaska Airlines. **Dana Duffield – Narrative Designer (Yotta Games)** Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a narrative designer after serving as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment.
**Yogscast Games – New Hires** The UK publisher Yogscast Games announces three new team members: Charlotte Willis (PR & influencer manager, formerly creator and community director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney (production coordinator, previously junior producer at Atelier 11) and Charlotte Pang (publishing coordinator, with a background in production, animation and teaching at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). **Steffen Holm & Chris Kruger – Roblox Foundation AI Team** Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger join 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.
They expressed excitement about pushing the boundaries of AI‑driven entertainment in their new roles. **Sathvik Sudireddy – Marketing Manager, Live Services (Rockstar Games)** Sathvik Sudireddy becomes marketing manager for live services at Rockstar Games.
He previously managed product development for *Call of Duty* at Activision and completed a business‑development internship at Rockstar. **Joe Chard – Lead Product Manager (Netflix Games)** Joe Chard is appointed lead product manager at Netflix Games. Chard’s prior experience includes senior leadership positions at Jam City, The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros.
Entertainment, giving him a strong foundation for steering Netflix’s gaming portfolio. These appointments, promotions and departures illustrate the fluid nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment sector.
Executives and creatives alike continue to migrate between major publishers, indie studios and emerging tech companies, carrying with them valuable expertise that shapes the future of games. By tracking these shifts, industry professionals can better anticipate emerging trends, potential collaborations, and the evolving competitive landscape.