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 regular round‑ups of the most notable moves. If you know of a change that belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, company and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. **Ben Board – CEO, The Performance Guys (CodeDev Group)** Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been installed as chief executive of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group. 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 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 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 – Creative Director, Pokémon Art & Design (The Pokémon Company International)** James Turner has re‑joined The Pokémon Company International, this time as creative director overseeing art and design. Turner originally left Game Freak in 2022 to co‑found All Possible Futures with Jonathan Biddle; the studio released its debut title, *The Plucky Squire*, in September 2024. His return signals a renewed focus on the visual direction of Pokémon’s expanding portfolio. **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, bringing a wealth of experience in crafting high‑impact visual concepts for live‑service and AAA titles. **Sam Duncombe – Brand Marketing Manager (Team17)** Sam Duncombe moves to Team17 as brand marketing manager after a stint as product manager for games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery. He will be responsible for shaping the public perception of Team17’s diverse catalogue, from classic indie hits to newer multiplayer experiences.
**Cansu Karahan Can – People & Culture Manager (Loom Games)** Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games to lead people‑and‑culture initiatives. Her previous role was the same at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she helped build inclusive workplace practices and talent development programmes.
**Christopher Wulf – Senior Business Development Manager (Fellow Traveler)** Promoted within Fellow Traveler, Christopher Wulf now serves as senior business development manager. He originally joined the company in 2021 after a senior business and events role at The Triple‑i Initiative. **Julie Derhak – Producer, Dungeons & Dragons (Wizards of the Coast)** Julie Derhak becomes a producer for the Dungeons & Dragons line at Wizards of the Coast.
Prior to this, she spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite crossover. **Alvaro Menéndez – International Social Lead (Mojang Studios)** Alvaro Menéndez is appointed international social lead at Mojang Studios.
He previously worked as senior marketing manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global community strategies for flagship titles. **Linus Johnsson – Senior Audio Designer (Frontier Developments)** Linus Johnsson receives a promotion to senior audio designer at Frontier Developments. He joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since contributed to the soundscapes of several high‑profile projects.
**Nate Nanzer – EVP, Head of Commercial & Marketing (Paramount Games)** After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to become executive vice‑president and head of commercial and marketing at Paramount Games. His Epic tenure culminated as senior vice‑president 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 – Head of Media (Amazon Gaming)** Julia Gutnik takes the helm of media at Amazon Gaming after leading media, social and analytics for Kia America and serving as head of digital and ad‑tech media at Prime Video and Amazon Studios for over six years. "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.
**Lorna Antoniazzi – Art Producer (Studio MDHR)** Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as art producer. She previously produced at Roarty Digital, where she worked on *Fortnite Battle Royale* and *Lego Fortnite*.
**Aysu Kutbay – Product Manager (Grand Games)** Aysu Kutbay becomes product manager at Grand Games, after managing products at Rollic. **David Bailey – Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing (Games Workshop)** David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as lead commercial manager for licensing. He first joined the company 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 universe.
**Liana Murphy – Account Director, US Operations (Second Stage)** Liana Murphy is appointed account director for US operations at Second Stage, following simultaneous COO and PR head roles at Vicariously and V Publishing. **Tim Coombs – Head of Brand Marketing (Amazon Luna)** Tim Coombs moves to Amazon Luna as head of brand marketing after serving as director of brand management at Xbox until July 2026. His earlier Amazon experience includes product marketing for Lumberyard (2017) and senior product marketing leadership for Amazon Game Tech.
**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 digital gaming business development. His 23‑year career at Games Workshop culminated as head of business development and consumer product licensing.
**Ryan Rubin – Senior Producer (Blizzard Entertainment)** Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as senior producer. He previously produced two mobile titles for Netflix—*Squid Game: Unleashed* and *Selling Sunset*—and spent five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends franchise.
**Andrey Odintsov – Head of Marketing (Battlestate Games)** Andrey Odintsov is appointed head of marketing at Battlestate Games. He formerly managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now consults independently on growth and go‑to‑market strategies for games. **Dan Lazarides – Chief Marketing Officer (Frontier Developments)** Dan Lazarides becomes CMO of Frontier Developments after a senior vice‑president marketing role at Sega Europe. He replaces Jo Cooke, who moved to the CEO position in January.
Cooke praised Lazarides, noting his experience with large IPs and his focus on a player‑first strategy. **Karen Ionescu – Digital Sales Manager (Kalypso Media UK)** Karen Ionescu takes over as digital sales manager at Kalypso Media UK, bringing prior experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo and Rising Star Games.
Managing director Andrew Johnson highlighted her extensive commercial background. **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; she previously held the same position at Metacore for four years. **Nathan Solbrandt – SVP of Business Development (ZBD)** Nathan Solbrandt becomes senior vice‑president of business development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior account work at Motorica and a VP role at Xsolla for the Americas.
**Olivia Lee – Internal Events Producer (Riot Games)** Olivia Lee joins Riot Games as internal events producer, having earlier served as associate producer for internal events and programs. **Ciarah Pritchard – Account Coordinator (Xsolla)** Ciarah Pritchard is appointed account coordinator at Xsolla, after a role 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, left in 2019 for EA, and now comes back to support the studio’s iconic franchises. **Maddie Richter – Social Media Marketing Manager (Nintendo of America)** Maddie Richter becomes social media marketing manager for Nintendo of America, after a stint as social media manager at Alaska Airlines. **Dana Duffield – Narrative Designer (Yotta Games)** Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a narrative designer, previously senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment. **Yogscast Games – New Hires** The UK publisher announced three new team members: Charlotte Willis (PR & 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 in production, animation and teaching at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone).
**Steffen Holm & Chris Kruger – Foundation AI Team (Roblox)** Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger join Roblox’s Foundation AI team to advance the mobile‑first AI creation tool Build in New Zealand. The duo co‑founded Jars AI in 2023, securing $3.5 million from Google and other investors. **Sathvik Sudireddy – Marketing Manager, Live Services (Rockstar Games)** Sathvik Sudireddy becomes marketing manager for live services at Rockstar Games, after product management on *Call of Duty* at Activision and 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.