Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the video‑game sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy movements. If you know of any recent appointments or role changes that belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company, as well as the previous position and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. In a significant leadership shuffle, former Epic Games executive Ben Board has taken the helm as chief executive officer of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group.
Board’s résumé 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 storied studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a breadth of experience that spans both classic and modern development pipelines. "Ben is a genuine heavyweight in our industry, and his reputation and technical credibility speak for themselves," remarked Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "He understands game creation from the low‑level engine code to the high‑level relationships with platform holders.
Appointing Ben as CEO of The Performance Guys sends a crystal‑clear signal to publishers and developers: if your title suffers from performance bottlenecks on any engine, we have the most capable team on the planet to resolve them." 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 indie studio’s debut, The Plucky Squire, launched in September 2024 and earned praise for its whimsical art direction.
His return to Pokémon signals a renewed focus on visual storytelling and brand consistency across the franchise’s expanding media portfolio. Billy King has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously led concept teams at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, where he contributed to a range of live‑service and narrative‑driven projects. His appointment is expected to bolster Respawn’s visual pipeline for upcoming titles in the Titanfall and Star Wars universes.
Sam Duncombe steps into the role of Brand Marketing Manager at Team17. Before joining the UK‑based indie champion, Duncombe was Product Manager – Games and Film at Warner Bros.
Discovery, overseeing cross‑media initiatives that linked cinematic releases with interactive experiences. At Team17, he will steer brand strategy for classics such as Worms and new IPs alike.
Cansu Karahan Can has taken on the People and Culture Manager position at Loom Games. Can’s prior experience includes a similar role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she championed employee wellbeing and diversity programs.
Her expertise will help Loom nurture a collaborative studio environment as it expands its portfolio of narrative‑driven titles. Christopher Wulf earned a promotion to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveler. Wulf, who joined Fellow Traveler in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, giving him a solid foundation in partnership negotiations and event coordination for indie developers.
Julie Derhak is now a Producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, where she contributed to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑themed Fortnite experience.
Her transition to Wizards of the Coast underscores the growing convergence between tabletop and digital gaming ecosystems. Alvaro Menéndez has been appointed International Social Lead at Mojang Studios. Menéndez’s earlier role as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid equipped him with deep insights into global community engagement, a skill set he will now apply to the worldwide Minecraft community. Linus Johnsson received a promotion to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments.
Having joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer, Johnsson quickly progressed through the ranks, contributing to the soundscapes of games such as Elite Dangerous and Planet Coaster. After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic responsibilities included SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation, where he oversaw major licensing deals and revenue‑generation strategies.
He commented, "The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting. 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 assumes the role of Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Gutnik previously led media, social, and analytics for Kia America, and before that spent over six years within Amazon’s own media divisions—including Prime Video and Amazon Studios—where she directed digital and ad‑tech initiatives. She noted, "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." Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer.
Antoniazzi’s background includes a producer stint at Roarty Digital, where she worked on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, giving her a strong grasp of large‑scale art pipelines and cross‑functional coordination. Aysu Kutbay is now Product Manager at Grand Games, after previously serving in the same capacity at Rollic, where she helped launch several top‑grossing mobile titles across Asia and Europe. David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing.
Bailey originally joined the Warhammer powerhouse in 2019 as Senior Licensing Manager, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now comes back to help steer licensing opportunities for the ever‑expanding Warhammer and Age of Sigmar universes. "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," he said.
Liana Murphy takes the position of Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage. Murphy previously held dual responsibilities as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a robust blend of operational and communications expertise. Tim Coombs has been named Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026, after joining the console maker in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy.
Earlier, he helped launch Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and later led product marketing for Amazon Game Tech, experience that will inform his strategy for Amazon’s cloud‑gaming service. Erik Mogensen exits Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for Digital Gaming. Mogensen’s 23‑year tenure at Games Workshop, culminating as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing, gave him a deep appreciation for legacy brands such as Warhammer and Dungeons & Dragons.
He reflected, "It's not lost on me how special it's been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands. 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 Senior Producer.
Rubin’s prior experience includes senior producer roles at Netflix, where he oversaw mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, as well as five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends franchise. Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games.
Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various gaming projects. Dan Lazarides is appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides brings senior‑level marketing experience from his previous role as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe, and he succeeds Jo Cooke, who moved to the CEO seat at Frontier in January. Cooke praised him, stating, "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." Karen Ionescu takes the post of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK.
Ionescu’s résumé includes sales leadership at Numskull Games, plus earlier positions at Nintendo and Rising Star Games, giving her a comprehensive view of both retail and digital distribution 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 held the same title at Metacore for four years, overseeing contractual negotiations for mobile titles across multiple markets. Nathan Solbrandt becomes Senior Vice President of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD. Solbrandt’s background includes senior account executive work at Motorica and a vice‑presidential role in business development for Xsolla’s Americas division.
Olivia Lee is now Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, where she previously served as Associate Producer for internal events and programs, coordinating large‑scale employee gatherings and community‑focused initiatives. Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator, after working as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards, where she optimized client ROI across ad‑tech campaigns. 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 for EA in 2019.
She says, "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 is appointed Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after previously managing social channels for Alaska Airlines, where she honed expertise in audience engagement and content strategy. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer.
Duffield’s most recent role was Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment, where she crafted storylines for narrative‑driven mobile experiences. Yogscast Games announces three new hires: Charlotte Willis (PR and 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 as Producer, Animator, and Artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, plus teaching experience at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone).
Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger have joined Roblox’s Foundation AI team to support the platform’s 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.
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 becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games. Sudireddy previously served as Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at the developer. Joe Chard is named Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games.
Chard’s prior experience includes a vice‑presidential stint as 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, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of the games industry, where talent moves fluidly between studios, publishers, and related entertainment sectors, constantly reshaping the creative and commercial landscape.