Keeping up with the constant flow of personnel changes across the games sector can be a real challenge, which is why we gather the most noteworthy moves in periodic round‑ups. If your studio has recent hires, promotions, or departures that belong in this list, please forward the individual’s name, new title, new company, and previous role/company to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been installed as chief executive of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group. Board’s résumé includes a stint as business development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine, a role he assumed after joining Epic in 2017 as a developer support manager.
Earlier in his career he held senior leadership positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a breadth of experience that spans both classic and contemporary development environments. "Ben is a genuine heavyweight in our industry, with a reputation and technical authority that speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "He understands game creation from the low‑level engine code to high‑level developer relations on the world’s biggest platforms. Appointing Ben as CEO of The Performance Guys sends a clear signal: whenever a title suffers from performance issues on any engine, we have the most capable team on the planet to resolve them." In other news, James Turner has rejoined The Pokémon Company International, taking on the role of Creative Director for 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 critical praise for its inventive gameplay and art direction. Billy King has been named lead concept artist at Respawn Entertainment.
King previously headed concept art at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as senior concept artist for Amazon Games, where he contributed to several high‑profile projects. Team17 has added Sam Duncombe as its new Brand Marketing Manager. Duncombe comes from Warner Bros.
Discovery, where he was product manager for games and film, bringing a strong cross‑media perspective to the UK‑based developer. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager after a tenure in the same capacity at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). Her expertise in talent development and organisational culture is expected to support Loom’s growing indie portfolio. Christopher Wulf earned a promotion to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveler.
Wulf, who entered the firm in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, and will now focus on expanding Fellow Traveler’s partnerships and market reach. Julie Derhak has been appointed 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 collaboration, and now brings that production acumen to the tabletop giant.
Alvaro Menéndez steps into the role of International Social Lead at Mojang Studios. Menéndez previously served as senior marketing manager for Epic Games in Madrid, giving him deep insight into community building for global franchises. Linus Johnsson has been promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments.
Johnsson joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has quickly risen through the ranks, now overseeing sound design for the studio’s upcoming titles. After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to become EVP, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation. He remarked, "The scale of ambition and vision for what's next at Paramount is incredibly exciting.
I've spent my career at the intersection of games, entertainment, and fandom, and the chance to help shape the next chapter was simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik is now 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 oversaw digital and ad‑tech media operations. "Returning to my entertainment roots after a stint in the auto sector feels like coming home," Gutnik said.
Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer, after producing at Roarty Digital on projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. Aysu Kutbay becomes Product Manager at Grand Games, moving from a similar role at Rollic where she helped launch several successful mobile titles. 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 says, "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes and help spearhead new licensing opportunities." Liana Murphy takes on the position of Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after serving concurrently as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing.
Tim Coombs has been appointed Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox (2020‑2026) and held product marketing roles for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen exits Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for digital gaming. Mogensen’s earlier 23‑year tenure at Games Workshop culminated as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing.
He reflected, "Working on my favourite brands – Warhammer, D&D, Magic, Transformers – has been a dream. I look forward to the next chapter, wherever it leads." Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin’s background includes senior production roles at Netflix (Squid Game: Unleashed, Selling Sunset) and five years at Riot Games on League of Legends creative development. Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games, after experience as User Acquisition Manager at Multicast Games and work as an independent growth consultant.
Dan Lazarides is named Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke who moved to the CEO role. Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe.
Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised him, stating, "Dan brings a wealth of experience on some of the industry's largest IPs and will drive our player‑first strategy." Karen Ionescu takes the role of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK, after sales positions at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson commented, "Karen’s extensive commercial experience and strong relationships across retail and digital channels make her a fantastic addition." Hannah Barrett has been promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, having joined as an account executive in December 2025. Supercell appoints Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore. Nathan Solbrandt becomes SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior account work at Motorica and a VP role at Xsolla for the Americas.
Olivia Lee joins Riot Games as Internal Events Producer, building on her prior experience as associate producer for internal events and programs. Ciarah Pritchard is now Account Coordinator at Xsolla, after serving as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards. Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, later moved to EA as Head of Product and Studio Integrated Communications, and now says, "I’m excited to partner with the talented teams at Bethesda and Xbox to support iconic franchises and bring their vision to players worldwide." Maddie Richter becomes Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a stint as Social Media Manager for 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 & Influencer Manager, formerly Creator & Community Director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney (Production Coordinator, previously Junior Producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang (Publishing Coordinator, formerly Producer, Animator, and Artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and instructor at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger have joined 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 and raised $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." Sathvik Sudireddy is now Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games, after product management work on Call of Duty at Activision and an internship in business development at Rockstar. Joe Chard has been named Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games.
Chard previously held senior positions at Jam City (VP, Studio GM, Head of Product), The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Entertainment.