Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the video‑game sector can be a daunting task. That’s why we publish regular round‑ups that gather all the notable personnel moves into a single, easy‑to‑read digest. If you know of a change at your studio that belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company, and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. One of the headline announcements this month is the appointment of Ben Board as chief executive officer of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group.
Board brings a deep pedigree in both business development and technical leadership. He joined Epic Games in 2017 as a developer‑support manager, later overseeing business development for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine.
Earlier in his career he held senior positions at classic UK studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a rare blend of creative and commercial insight. "Ben is a true industry heavy‑hitter whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "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." In other news, James Turner has rejoined The Pokémon Company International 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 platforming and hand‑drawn aesthetic. His return to Pokémon signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand consistency across the franchise’s expanding media portfolio. Billy King has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously served as lead concept artist at ZeniMax Online Studios and as senior concept artist at Amazon Games, where his work helped define the visual language of several high‑profile live‑service titles.
At Respawn, he will be responsible for shaping the look and feel of upcoming projects, likely including the next installment of the acclaimed Apex Legends series. Team17 has added Sam Duncombe as Brand Marketing Manager. Duncombe comes from a product‑management background at Warner Bros. Discovery, where he oversaw cross‑media initiatives spanning games and film.
His mandate at Team17 will be to strengthen the studio’s brand presence and coordinate marketing campaigns for both legacy IPs like Worms and newer indie releases. Loom Games welcomes Cansu Karahan Can as People and Culture Manager.
Can previously held the same role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she championed employee wellbeing and diversity programs. At Loom, she will help build a supportive workplace culture as the studio expands its roster of narrative‑driven titles. Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller. Wulf, who joined the company in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, bringing extensive experience in partnership building and event coordination to his new role.
Julie Derhak joins Wizards of the Coast as a Producer for Dungeons & Dragons. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego Fortnite collaboration, giving her a strong background in large‑scale live‑service production that will be valuable for the tabletop‑gaming giant’s digital initiatives. Alvaro Menéndez becomes International Social Lead at Mojang Studios.
Menéndez previously served as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, overseeing community engagement across multiple regions. At Mojang, he will guide global social strategies for Minecraft and related properties. 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 contributed to the soundscapes of titles such as Planet Coaster and Elite Dangerous.
His promotion reflects his growing influence on the studio’s auditory identity. After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to take on the role of Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer most recently served as SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation at Epic, where he helped shape the company’s global revenue strategy. "The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting," Nanzer said, adding that he looks forward to helping build Paramount's future gaming portfolio.
Julia Gutnik is appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Gutnik previously led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she managed digital and ad‑tech media operations. She returns to the entertainment side of Amazon, aiming to amplify the gaming division’s media outreach.
Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer. Antoniazzi previously produced at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, and will now oversee art pipelines for titles such as Cuphead 2. Aysu Kutbay becomes Product Manager at Grand Games, after a stint at Rollic where she managed mobile‑game product lifecycles and monetisation strategies.
David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey first joined Games Workshop in 2019 as Senior Licensing Manager, left in 2021 for Sumo Digital, and now returns to help expand the Warhammer licensing ecosystem. Liana Murphy is named Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, bringing experience as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing to the role. Tim Coombs takes the helm as Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox (2020‑2026) and held senior product‑marketing positions 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 23‑year tenure at Games Workshop included leadership of business development and consumer product licensing, giving him a rare perspective on tabletop and digital cross‑overs. Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer.
Rubin’s prior experience includes senior production roles at Netflix (where he oversaw mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset) and five years at Riot Games working on League of Legends creative development. Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth consultant for the gaming sector. Dan Lazarides is appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO.
Lazarides formerly served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe, and his appointment underscores Frontier’s focus on community‑first publishing. Karen Ionescu joins Kalypso Media UK as Digital Sales Manager. Ionescu’s background includes sales leadership at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games, equipping her to drive both retail and digital distribution strategies. 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 position at Metacore for four years, overseeing contractual negotiations for mobile titles. Nathan Solbrandt becomes 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).
Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, building on her experience producing internal programs and events. 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, left for EA in 2019, and now comes back to help shape messaging for iconic franchises.
Maddie Richter is appointed Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, transitioning from a role as Social Media Manager at Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, after senior narrative work 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, 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 and raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors, bringing extensive AI‑creative expertise to Roblox.
Sathvik Sudireddy becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games. Sudireddy previously managed product development for Call of Duty at Activision and completed a business‑development internship at Rockstar.
Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard’s prior experience includes VP and Studio General Manager roles at Jam City, senior positions at Disney, and leadership at Warner Bros. Entertainment. These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement within the gaming ecosystem, highlighting how experience across studios, platforms, and even adjacent industries continues to shape the future of interactive entertainment.