Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves. If you have a staffing change you think belongs in this list—whether it’s a new appointment, a promotion, or a departure—please forward the name, new title, new employer, and previous role and company to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been installed as chief executive officer 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 broad perspective on game development pipelines. "Ben is a genuine heavyweight in our industry, with a reputation and technical credibility that speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "He has seen the development process from every angle – from writing engine scripts to handling developer relations for the world’s largest platforms and engines.
Appointing Ben as CEO of The Performance Guys sends a clear signal to the market: if your 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 re‑joined 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 received praise for its inventive mechanics and whimsical art style.
Billy King has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously headed concept work at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, bringing a wealth of experience in crafting visual identities for large‑scale titles. Sam Duncombe moves to Team 17 as Brand Marketing Manager, after a tenure as Product Manager for games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery.
His new role will see him shaping the public perception of Team 17’s diverse portfolio of indie and mid‑core releases. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager.
Prior to this, Can oversaw people‑operations at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she helped build a supportive workplace culture for a fast‑growing studio. Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveler. Wulf, who arrived at the company in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, bringing extensive networking experience to his new position.
Julie Derhak steps into the role of 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, before moving into tabletop‑gaming production. Alvaro Menéndez becomes International Social Lead at Mojang Studios. He formerly served as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global community initiatives and social campaigns.
Linus Johnsson has been promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments. Johnsson joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since progressed to a senior role, shaping the soundscapes of upcoming titles. Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after a seven‑year stint to take on the position of Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. At Epic, Nanzer most recently held the title of SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation.
"The scale of ambition and vision for what lies ahead at Paramount is incredibly exciting," Nanzer said. "My career has always sat at the intersection of games, entertainment, and fandom, and the chance to help build the next chapter there was simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik has been appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Before this, Gutnik led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she directed digital and ad‑tech media strategy. "After two years in the automotive sector, I’m returning to my entertainment roots and to the place that shaped me into a global marketing leader," she remarked.
Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer, after previously producing at Roarty Digital on projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. Aysu Kutbay becomes Product Manager at Grand Games, following a product‑management role at Rollic. 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 to become Director of Business Affairs at Sumo Digital, and now returns to help steer licensing for the Warhammer universe.
"It’s a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," he said. Liana Murphy takes the post of Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage. Murphy most recently served concurrently as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing. Tim Coombs has been named Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026, after joining the console maker in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy. Earlier, he served as Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and later as Senior Product Marketing Manager and Team Lead for Amazon Game Tech until April 2020. Erik Mogensen leaves Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for digital gaming. Prior to that, he 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 – from Warhammer to Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers… the list goes on. I’m very much looking forward to my next chapter, wherever that may be," he reflected. Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer.
Rubin previously held senior producer roles at Netflix, overseeing two shipped mobile titles – 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 becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. He previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and currently works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for gaming projects. Dan Lazarides has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments.
Lazarides came from Sega Europe, where he served as Senior Vice President of Marketing, and succeeded Jo Cooke after she became Frontier’s CEO in January. "We are delighted to welcome Dan to Frontier, who brings a wealth of experience on some of the industry’s largest IPs," said Cooke.
"His leadership will continue Frontier’s upward momentum and reinforce our player‑first strategy." Karen Ionescu takes the role of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu previously worked as Sales Manager at Numskull Games and has held positions at Nintendo and Rising Star Games. "We’re delighted to welcome Karen to Kalypso Media UK," said Managing Director Andrew Johnson. "She brings extensive commercial experience and strong relationships across both retail and digital channels." Hannah Barrett has been promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining the firm as an Account Executive in December 2025.
Supercell names 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 serving as Senior Account Executive at Motorica and Vice President of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla. Olivia Lee is appointed Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, having previously worked as Associate Producer for internal events and programs.
Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator, 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 as Director of Publications, later becoming Associate VP of Communications, before leaving in 2019 for Electronic Arts, where she led product and studio integrated communications. "I’m looking forward to partnering with the talented people across Bethesda and Xbox, supporting the teams behind some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment, and helping bring their creativity and vision to players around the world," Thompson said.
Maddie Richter becomes Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a stint 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, 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 AI interactive platform Jars AI in 2023 and raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors. "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," Holm explained. Sathvik Sudireddy becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games.
He previously worked as Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision after completing a business‑development internship at the studio. Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games.
Chard’s background includes serving as Vice President, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product at Jam City for six years, as well as senior roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement within the gaming industry, underscoring how studios continually seek fresh leadership and expertise to drive innovation and growth.