Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the video‑game sector can be a daunting task. To make it easier for readers and professionals alike, we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel changes each month. If you know of a move that belongs in this list—whether it’s a new appointment, a promotion, or a departure—please forward the details (name, new title, new company, and previous role and employer) to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
In August 2026 the industry saw a wave of high‑profile transitions. Below is a comprehensive recap, rewritten for clarity and expanded with context to give a fuller picture of each individual’s background and the significance of their new role. **Ben Board – Chief Executive Officer, The Performance Guys (CodeDev Group)** Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been tapped to lead the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group, known as The Performance Guys.
Board entered 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 positions at classic studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien. Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group, praised Board as "a true industry heavy‑hitter whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves." Parrot added that Board’s deep understanding of game development—from low‑level engine scripting to high‑level platform partnership management—makes him the ideal figure to signal to developers that any performance bottleneck can be resolved by the world’s premier optimisation team.
**James Turner – Creative Director, Pokémon Art and Design (The Pokémon Company International)** James Turner has rejoined The Pokémon Company International as the creative director overseeing art and design for the franchise. 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 acclaim. His return brings a blend of indie‑studio agility and deep institutional knowledge of the Pokémon brand, positioning him to guide the visual evolution of the series as it expands into new media and gaming platforms. **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 senior concept artist for Amazon Games. His portfolio includes work on large‑scale online worlds and narrative‑driven shooters, making him well‑suited to shape the visual language of Respawn’s upcoming projects, which range from battle‑royale titles to story‑rich single‑player experiences.
**Sam Duncombe – Brand Marketing Manager (Team17)** Sam Duncombe moves from Warner Bros. Discovery, where he was product manager for games and film, to become brand marketing manager at Team17. In his new capacity, Duncombe will oversee the promotion of Team17’s diverse catalogue, leveraging his experience in cross‑media product strategy to amplify titles such as *Worms* and *The Escapists*.
**Cansu Karahan Can – People & Culture Manager (Loom Games)** Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as people and culture manager after serving in a similar capacity at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). Her focus will be on nurturing a supportive workplace environment and scaling HR processes as Loom expands its indie‑focused development pipeline. **Christopher Wulf – Senior Business Development Manager (Fellow Traveller)** Promoted within Fellow Traveller, Christopher Wulf now serves as senior business development manager.
Since joining the company in 2021, Wulf has driven partnership initiatives, building on his previous senior business and event management role at The Triple‑i Initiative. **Julie Derhak – Producer, Dungeons & Dragons (Wizards of the Coast)** Julie Derhak transitions from a seven‑year stint at Epic Games—where she contributed to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego Fortnite collaboration—to become a producer for the Dungeons & Dragons line at Wizards of the Coast. Her experience with large‑scale live services will be valuable as Wizards expands its tabletop franchise into digital experiences. **Alvaro Menéndez – International Social Lead (Mojang Studios)** Alvaro Menéndez, formerly senior marketing manager for Epic Games in Madrid, is now international social lead at Mojang Studios.
He will oversee global community engagement for *Minecraft* and related titles, applying his expertise in multilingual marketing to grow the game’s worldwide presence. **Linus Johnsson – Senior Audio Designer (Frontier Developments)** Linus Johnsson receives a promotion to senior audio designer at Frontier Developments. Having joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer, Johnsson’s work on immersive soundscapes for titles like *Planet Coaster* has earned him this advancement.
**Nate Nanzer – EVP, Head of Commercial & Marketing (Paramount Games)** After seven years at Epic Games—including a recent tenure as SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation—Nate Nanzer departs to become executive vice‑president and head of commercial and marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer cited the “scale of ambition and vision” at Paramount as a compelling reason for the move, while expressing gratitude to his former Epic colleagues. **Julia Gutnik – Head of Media (Amazon Gaming)** Julia Gutnik returns to Amazon’s entertainment division as head of media for Amazon Gaming.
Previously, she led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, overseeing digital and ad‑tech media strategies. Gutnik describes the move as a homecoming to her entertainment roots after a brief foray into the automotive sector.
**Lorna Antoniazzi – Art Producer (Studio MDHR)** Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as art producer. She previously produced at Roarty Digital, contributing to *Fortnite Battle Royale* and *Lego Fortnite*.
At MDHR, she will help shepherd the visual development of titles such as *Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course*. **Aysu Kutbay – Product Manager (Grand Games)** Aysu Kutbay becomes product manager at Grand Games after serving in the same capacity at Rollic.
Her role will focus on lifecycle management for Grand Games’ mobile portfolio. **David Bailey – Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing (Games Workshop)** David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as lead commercial manager for licensing.
Having originally joined in 2019 as senior licensing manager, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now coming back, Bailey says it is a privilege to help steer new licensing opportunities within the expansive Warhammer universes. **Liana Murphy – Account Director, US Operations (Second Stage)** Liana Murphy steps into the account director role for US operations at Second Stage. Previously she was both COO and head of public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong foundation in operational leadership and communications.
**Tim Coombs – Head of Brand Marketing (Amazon Luna)** Tim Coombs is appointed head of brand marketing for Amazon Luna. Before this, he directed brand management at Xbox (2020‑2026) and held product marketing roles for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech, bringing a wealth of experience in console and cloud‑gaming branding.
**Erik Mogensen – Departing Senior Director of Business Development (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. His 23‑year tenure at Games Workshop, culminating as head of business development and consumer product licensing, underscores a career spent shaping some of the industry’s most beloved IPs, from Warhammer to Magic: The Gathering.
**Ryan Rubin – Senior Producer (Blizzard Entertainment)** Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as a senior producer. His prior experience includes senior production on Netflix 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 – Head of Marketing (Battlestate Games)** Andrey Odintsov becomes head of marketing at Battlestate Games. He previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for gaming projects.
**Dan Lazarides – Chief Marketing Officer (Frontier Developments)** Dan Lazarides is named CMO of Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke who moved to the CEO role. Lazarides arrives from Sega Europe, where he was senior vice‑president of marketing. Frontier’s CEO Jo Cooke highlighted Lazarides’ track record with major IPs and his player‑first mindset as key to the studio’s future growth.
**Karen Ionescu – Digital Sales Manager (Kalypso Media UK)** Karen Ionescu takes the digital sales manager position at Kalypso Media UK. Her background includes sales leadership at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games, providing a deep understanding of 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 after joining as an account executive in December 2025.
**Anni Pyy – Contract Manager (Supercell)** Supercell appoints Anni Pyy as contract manager. Pyy previously spent four years in the same role at Metacore, handling contractual negotiations for mobile game publishing. **Nathan Solbrandt – SVP of Business Development (ZBD)** Nathan Solbrandt becomes senior vice‑president of business development at fintech platform ZBD.
He brings experience from senior account executive work at Motorica and a vice‑president role at Xsolla covering the Americas. **Olivia Lee – Internal Events Producer (Riot Games)** Olivia Lee joins Riot Games as internal events producer, building on her prior experience as associate producer for internal programs and events. **Ciarah Pritchard – Account Coordinator (Xsolla)** Ciarah Pritchard is hired as an account coordinator at Xsolla after serving as account performance manager at Playback Rewards.
**Tracey Thompson – VP of Communications (Bethesda)** Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as vice‑president of communications. She originally joined Bethesda in 2009, rose to associate VP of communications, left for EA in 2019, and now comes back to support Bethesda and Xbox on 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 social media manager role at Alaska Airlines. **Dana Duffield – Narrative Designer (Yotta Games)** Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a narrative designer after a senior narrative designer stint at Series Entertainment.
**Yogscast Games – New Hires (Charlotte Willis, Robin Mawhinney, Charlotte Pang)** Yogscast Games announces three additions: 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 (with a background in production, animation, and teaching at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). **Steffen Holm & Chris Kruger – Roblox Foundation AI Team (New Zealand)** 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, and aim to push the boundaries of AI‑driven entertainment. **Sathvik Sudireddy – Marketing Manager, Live Services (Rockstar Games)** Sathvik Sudireddy becomes marketing manager for live services at Rockstar Games.
He previously managed product for *Call of Duty* at Activision following a business‑development internship at Rockstar. **Joe Chard – Lead Product Manager (Netflix Games)** Joe Chard is appointed lead product manager at Netflix Games.
Prior roles include vice‑president, studio general manager, and head of product at Jam City, as well as senior positions at Disney and Warner Bros. Their expertise spans mobile, console, and streaming‑based gaming. This extensive list reflects the dynamic nature of talent movement within the gaming sector, illustrating how experience from major publishers, indie studios, and even non‑gaming industries continues to cross‑pollinate and drive innovation across the medium.