Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the games 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 individual's name, new title, new company, and previous position to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
In a significant leadership shift, former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been installed as chief executive officer of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group. Board joined Epic in 2017 as a developer support manager before moving on to become business development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine.
His résumé also includes senior stints at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a broad perspective on both development and publishing. "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 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." James Turner has rejoined 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 studio’s debut title, The Plucky Squire, launched in September 2024 and earned praise for its inventive mechanics. His return signals Pokémon's commitment to fresh visual direction while retaining the brand’s classic charm.
Respawn Entertainment announced Billy King as its new Lead Concept Artist. King arrives from ZeniMax Online Studios, where he headed concept art, and previously served as senior concept artist at Amazon Games.
His portfolio spans sci‑fi shooters and fantasy adventures, promising to enrich Respawn's upcoming projects with bold visual ideas. Team17 welcomed Sam Duncombe as Brand Marketing Manager.
Duncombe moves from Warner Bros. Discovery, where he oversaw product strategy for games and film, and will now steer Team17's brand initiatives across its diverse portfolio of indie and mid‑tier titles.
Loom Games added Cansu Karahan Can as People and Culture Manager. Can previously held the same role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she built inclusive workplace programs and talent development pipelines. Her expertise will help Loom scale its growing studio while maintaining a strong employee‑first culture.
Christopher Wulf earned a promotion to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller. Since joining the company in 2021, Wulf has driven partnership deals and event strategy; before that he was senior business and event manager for The Triple‑i Initiative.
Julie Derhak is now a Producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite crossover, experience that will inform her work on tabletop‑to‑digital adaptations.
Alvaro Menéndez takes the role of International Social Lead at Mojang Studios. Menéndez previously served as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global community campaigns for titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League. Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to Senior Audio Designer.
Johnsson joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since contributed to the soundscapes of several flagship projects, earning this senior title. After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departed to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s last Epic role was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation.
"The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting," he 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 has been appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Gutnik moves back to the entertainment side after two years leading media, social, and analytics at Kia America. She previously spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, heading digital and ad‑tech media functions.
Studio MDHR named Lorna Antoniazzi as Art Producer. Antoniazzi previously produced at Roarty Digital, where she contributed to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, experience that will support MDHR's distinctive artistic style.
Grand Games hired Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager. Kutbay comes from Rollic, where she managed mobile game portfolios and helped launch several top‑grossing titles.
David Bailey returned to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey first joined Games Workshop in 2019 as Senior Licensing Manager, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now returns to steer licensing for the Warhammer universe. Second Stage appointed Liana Murphy as Account Director for US Operations. Murphy previously held the dual roles of COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong operational and communications background.
Amazon Luna announced Tim Coombs as Head of Brand Marketing. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and earlier led product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen exited Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for digital gaming.
His prior 23‑year tenure at Games Workshop culminated in heading business development and consumer product licensing for Warhammer and other flagship brands. Blizzard Entertainment added Ryan Rubin as Senior Producer.
Rubin came from Netflix, where he produced mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, and previously spent five years at Riot Games working on League of Legends creative development. Andrey Odintsov became Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now consults independently on growth and go‑to‑market strategies for games.
Frontier Developments named Dan Lazarides its new Chief Marketing Officer, succeeding Jo Cooke after she moved to the CEO role. Lazarides formerly served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and will guide Frontier's player‑first strategy. Karen Ionescu joins Kalypso Media UK as Digital Sales Manager.
Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games, covering both retail and digital distribution channels. Hannah Barrett was promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining as an account executive in December 2025. Supercell hired Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore.
Nathan Solbrandt became SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior roles at Motorica and Xsolla (where he was VP of Business Development for the Americas). Riot Games appointed Olivia Lee as Internal Events Producer, following her work as associate producer for internal programs. Xsolla added Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator; she formerly was an account performance manager at Playback Rewards.
Tracey Thompson returned to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left for EA in 2019, and now resumes a leadership role overseeing communications for the studio's iconic franchises. Nintendo of America named Maddie Richter Social Media Marketing Manager. Richter previously managed social channels for Alaska Airlines, bringing a fresh perspective to Nintendo's community outreach.
Yotta Games welcomed narrative designer Dana Duffield, who previously held a senior narrative designer position at Series Entertainment. Yogscast Games announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis (PR and Influencer Manager, formerly creator and community director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney (Production Coordinator, formerly junior producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang (Publishing Coordinator, with past experience as producer, animator, and educator at Team Gramps, Queensguard, and Submarine Art School).
Roblox's Foundation AI team expanded with Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger, both co‑founders of Jars AI, an interactive AI platform that raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors. They will help develop the mobile‑first AI creation tool Build in New Zealand.
Rockstar Games hired Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager for Live Services. Sudireddy previously managed product for Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development. Netflix Games appointed Joe Chard as Lead Product Manager.
Chard previously served as VP, studio general manager, and head of product at Jam City, and held senior roles at Disney and Warner Bros.