Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions and departures in the games sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather all the noteworthy moves in one place.
If you know of a staffing change that belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, company and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been appointed chief executive officer of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group.
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 senior leadership positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios and BossAlien.
"Ben is a true industry heavy‑hitter whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said CodeDev Group founder Myke Parrot. "He understands game development from every angle – from writing 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 as Creative Director of Pokémon Art and Design.
Turner originally left Game Freak in 2022 to co‑found All Possible Futures with Jonathan Biddle, a studio that launched its debut title The Plucky Squire in September 2024. His return signals a renewed focus on the visual direction of the franchise. Billy King is now the lead concept artist at Respawn Entertainment.
King previously held the same senior role at ZeniMax Online Studios and worked as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, contributing to a variety of high‑profile projects. Sam Duncombe has taken the post of Brand Marketing Manager at Team 17, after serving as Product Manager – Games and Film at Warner Bros.
Discovery. In his new role he will steer brand strategy for the UK‑based developer and publisher. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously performed the same function at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion).
She will oversee talent acquisition, employee experience and organisational development for the indie studio. Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller. Wulf, who entered the company in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager.
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 Lego Fortnite, before moving into tabletop RPG production. Alvaro Menéndez becomes International Social Lead at Mojang Studios.
He previously served as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global community initiatives. Linus Johnsson has been promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments. Johnsson started at Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has progressed to a senior position responsible for sound design across multiple titles. Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to assume the role of Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games.
Nanzer’s most recent position at Epic 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." Julia Gutnik is appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming.
Prior to this, she led media, social and analytics for 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," Gutnik explained. Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer.
She previously produced at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. Aysu Kutbay becomes Product Manager at Grand Games after a stint as product manager at Rollic, where she oversaw live‑ops and monetisation strategies. 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 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now comes back to help expand the Warhammer licensing portfolio.
Liana Murphy is appointed Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage. Murphy most recently held the dual roles of COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing.
Tim Coombs becomes Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. He previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026, having joined the console maker in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy.
Earlier, Coombs led product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and later for Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen leaves 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, 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. Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment 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. 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. Dan Lazarides takes the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments.
Lazarides formerly served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after she moved to Frontier’s CEO position. Cooke praised his arrival, noting his experience with large IPs and his focus on player‑first strategies. Karen Ionescu becomes Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK.
Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson said her retail and digital sales expertise makes her a valuable addition.
Hannah Barrett is 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 role at Metacore for four years. Nathan Solbrandt becomes SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD.
He previously worked as Senior Account Executive at Motorica and Vice President of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla. Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, having previously served as Associate Producer for internal events and programs.
Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator after working as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards. Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications.
Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left in 2019 for EA, and now looks forward to supporting iconic franchises across Bethesda and Xbox. Maddie Richter is named Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a tenure as Social Media Manager at Alaska Airlines.
Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, following a senior narrative design role at Series Entertainment. 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, former producer, animator and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and former instructor at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone).
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. Holm noted, "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 served as Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at the studio.
Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard’s background includes VP, Studio General Manager and Head of Product at Jam City, as well as senior roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment. This extensive list underscores the dynamic nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment industry, highlighting how experienced professionals continue to shape the future of games, streaming, and related media across a wide spectrum of studios and publishers.