Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather the most noteworthy personnel changes in one place. If you know of a move that belongs in this list—whether it’s a new appointment, a transition, or a departure—please forward the details (name, new role, new company, previous role and company) to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. **Ben Board takes the helm of The Performance Guys** 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 positions at iconic studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead, and BossAlien. "Ben is a true industry heavyweight whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said CodeDev Group founder Myke Parrot. "He understands game development from every angle – from writing engine scripts to managing developer relations for the world’s biggest platforms.
Bringing Ben in as CEO sends a clear signal: if your title suffers from performance issues on any engine, we have the best team on the planet to fix it." **James Turner back at Pokémon** James Turner has re‑joined The Pokémon Company International as Creative Director of Pokémon Art and Design. Turner 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 marks a homecoming to the franchise that helped launch his career.
**Billy King joins Respawn Entertainment** Respawn Entertainment announced the appointment of Billy King as its lead concept artist. King previously led concept teams at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as senior concept artist for Amazon Games, bringing a strong portfolio of sci‑fi and fantasy visuals to his new role. **Additional appointments across the industry** - Sam Duncombe becomes Brand Marketing Manager at Team 17, after a product‑management role covering games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Cansu Karahan Can moves to Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously held the same title at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). - Christopher Wulf is promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller, a company he joined in 2021 after senior stints at The Triple‑i Initiative. - Julie Derhak takes on the role of Producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast. She spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego Fortnite collaboration.
- Alvaro Menéndez becomes International Social Lead at Mojang Studios, after serving as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid. - Linus Johnsson is promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments; he entered Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since risen through the ranks. - Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after seven years to assume the EVP, Head of Commercial & Marketing position at Paramount Games.
Nanzer previously held the SVP title for partnerships and monetisation at Epic. He said, "The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting.
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 is named Head of Media at Amazon Gaming, after leading media, social and analytics for Kia America and spending six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios in digital and ad‑tech roles. - Lorna Antoniazzi becomes Art Producer at Studio MDHR, following a producer role at Roarty Digital where she worked on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite.
- Aysu Kutbay joins Grand Games as Product Manager, after a similar position at Rollic. - David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey originally joined Games Workshop in 2019, left in 2021 for Sumo Digital, and now says, "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here." - Liana Murphy is appointed Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after serving concurrently as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing. - Tim Coombs takes the reins as Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
He 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.
His 23‑year tenure at Games Workshop culminated in heading business development and consumer‑product licensing. - Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin’s background includes senior production on Netflix mobile titles *Squid Game: Unleashed* and *Selling Sunset*, as well as five years at Riot Games working on League of Legends creative development.
- Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games, after user‑acquisition work at Multicast Games and consulting for independent developers. - Dan Lazarides is appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke who moved to the CEO role. Lazarides previously served as SVP of Marketing at Sega Europe and is praised by Frontier’s CEO for his experience with major IPs and player‑first strategy.
- Karen Ionescu steps in as Digital Sales Manager for Kalypso Media UK, bringing prior experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. - 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. - Supercell names Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously held the same title at Metacore for four years. - Nathan Solbrandt becomes SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior roles at Motorica and Xsolla.
- Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, building on her associate‑producer experience for internal programs. - Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator, after managing account performance at Playback Rewards. - Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications.
Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left for EA in 2019, and now says, "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." - Maddie Richter becomes Social Media Marketing Manager for Nintendo of America, after a stint as Social Media Manager at Alaska Airlines. - Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, following senior narrative work at Series Entertainment. - Yogscast Games announces three new hires: 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 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. - Sathvik Sudireddy becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games, after product‑management work on Call of Duty at Activision.
- Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games, following senior leadership roles at Jam City, The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
These moves illustrate the fluid nature of talent in the gaming world, where seasoned veterans often shift between major publishers, indie studios, and emerging tech ventures, bringing expertise that fuels innovation across the industry.