Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves. If you have a staffing change you think belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company, and previous position to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been tapped to lead The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group, as its chief executive officer.
Board joined Epic in 2017 as a developer‑support manager before moving on to become the business‑development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine. His résumé also includes senior leadership positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a broad perspective on both indie and AAA development pipelines.
"Ben is a true industry heavy‑hitter whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "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." In another headline, James Turner has rejoined The Pokémon Company International 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 to critical praise.
His return signals a renewed focus on artistic direction across the Pokémon franchise. Respawn Entertainment announced that Billy King will serve as its lead concept artist.
King previously held the same title at ZeniMax Online Studios and was senior concept artist at Amazon Games, where he contributed to several high‑profile projects. His experience with large‑scale online worlds is expected to enrich Respawn’s upcoming titles.
Team17 welcomed Sam Duncombe as Brand Marketing Manager. Duncombe comes from Warner Bros. Discovery, where he was product manager for games and film, bringing a cross‑media perspective to the UK‑based indie publisher.
Loom Games added Cansu Karahan Can as People and Culture Manager. Can previously performed the same role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she helped shape a supportive workplace culture for a growing development team. Fellow Traveler promoted Christopher Wulf to Senior Business Development Manager.
Wulf, who joined the firm in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, giving him a solid background in partnership cultivation. Wizards of the Coast appointed Julie Derhak as a Producer for Dungeons & Dragons.
Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite collaboration, before moving into tabletop gaming production. Mojang Studios named Alvaro Menéndez International Social Lead. Menéndez previously served as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global community initiatives. Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to Senior Audio Designer.
Johnsson first joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since advanced through the sound team, contributing to titles such as Elite Dangerous and Planet Zoo. After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departed to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was SVP 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." Amazon Gaming announced Julia Gutnik as Head of Media. Gutnik previously led media, social, and analytics at Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she managed 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," she explained.
Studio MDHR added Lorna Antoniazzi as Art Producer. Antoniazzi came from Roarty Digital, where she produced work on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, bringing valuable experience in large‑scale art pipelines.
Grand Games appointed Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager. Kutbay previously worked at Rollic, overseeing mobile game portfolios and user‑acquisition strategies.
David Bailey returned to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey originally joined Games Workshop in 2019 as Senior Licensing Manager, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now says, "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here." Second Stage hired Liana Murphy as Account Director for US Operations. Murphy most recently served as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong background in agency‑client relations.
Amazon Luna named Tim Coombs Head of Brand Marketing. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and held product‑marketing roles for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech, providing deep expertise in gaming platform branding. Erik Mogensen left Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for Digital Gaming.
Mogensen spent 23 years at Games Workshop, culminating as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing. 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." Blizzard Entertainment added Ryan Rubin as Senior Producer. Rubin previously produced two mobile titles at Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and spent five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends IP. Battlestate Games appointed Andrey Odintsov as Head of Marketing.
Odintsov formerly managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now consults independently on growth and go‑to‑market strategies for games. Frontier Developments announced Dan Lazarides as Chief Marketing Officer. Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after she became Frontier’s CEO. Cooke praised him, stating that his leadership will "continue Frontier's upward momentum" and support a "player‑first" strategy.
Kalypso Media UK hired Karen Ionescu as Digital Sales Manager. Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson said, "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." Swipe Right promoted Hannah Barrett to Senior Account Executive.
Barrett joined the esports and gaming communications agency in December 2025 as an account executive before earning the senior title. Supercell named Anni Pyy as Contract Manager. Pyy previously held the same role at Metacore for four years, overseeing contractual negotiations for mobile releases.
Fintech platform ZBD appointed Nathan Solbrandt as SVP 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. Lee previously coordinated internal programs and events, ensuring employee engagement across the studio.
Xsolla hired Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator. Pritchard came from Playback Rewards, where she managed account performance and client reporting.
Bethesda welcomed back 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 oversee messaging for iconic franchises. Nintendo of America appointed Maddie Richter as Social Media Marketing Manager. Richter previously managed social channels for Alaska Airlines, bringing a fresh consumer‑focused perspective to Nintendo's community outreach.
Yotta Games added Dana Duffield as Narrative Designer. Duffield formerly served as Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment, crafting storylines for narrative‑driven titles.
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 (previously Producer, Animator, and Artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, as well as an instructor at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Roblox’s Foundation AI team welcomed Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger to support the Build mobile‑first AI creation tool in New Zealand.
The duo co‑founded Jars AI in 2023, raising $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." Rockstar Games hired Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager for Live Services. Sudireddy previously managed product on Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar.
Netflix Games appointed Joe Chard as Lead Product Manager. Chard’s background includes a six‑year stint as VP, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product at Jam City, plus 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 swiftly between studios, publishers, and tech giants, continually reshaping the creative and commercial landscape.