Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the gaming sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves. If you have news about a new appointment or a transition within your studio, feel free to forward the details – name, new title, company, and previous role – to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. In a significant leadership change, 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 UK developers such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a breadth of experience that spans both creative and technical domains. "Ben is a genuine heavyweight in the industry, and his reputation and technical credibility speak for themselves," remarked Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "He has seen game development from every angle – from writing engine scripts to managing developer relations for the world’s biggest platforms.
Appointing Ben as CEO sends a clear signal: if your title suffers from performance bottlenecks on any engine, we have the most capable team on the planet to remedy it." 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 earned praise for its whimsical art direction. His return to the Pokémon umbrella suggests a renewed focus on visual storytelling for the franchise’s next generation of games and media. Billy King steps into the role of Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment.
King previously led concept teams at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, contributing to a range of sci‑fi and fantasy projects. His expertise in crafting striking visual concepts is expected to bolster Respawn’s upcoming titles, which continue to blend cinematic storytelling with high‑octane gameplay. Other notable moves include: - Sam Duncombe has become Brand Marketing Manager at Team 17, after a tenure as Product Manager for games and film at Warner Bros.
Discovery. - Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, bringing experience from a similar role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). - Christopher Wulf is promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveler, having joined the firm in 2021 and previously working for The Triple‑i Initiative. - Julie Derhak takes on the position 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, where he started as a graduate audio designer in 2022. - Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after seven years to assume the EVP role heading Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer, who most recently served as SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation, 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 appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming, returning to the entertainment side after a two‑year stint in the automotive sector with Kia America.
Her prior experience includes leading media, social, and analytics for Prime Video and Amazon Studios. - Lorna Antoniazzi becomes Art Producer at Studio MDHR, after producing at Roarty Digital on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. - Aysu Kutbay takes the Product Manager role at Grand Games, previously holding the same title at Rollic.
- David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey originally joined Games Workshop in 2019, 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 to help spearhead new business for licensing here." - Liana Murphy is named Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after serving concurrently as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing. - Tim Coombs assumes the Head of Brand Marketing position 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 career at Games Workshop culminated as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing. - Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin’s background includes senior production work on Netflix mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, as well as five years at Riot Games on League of Legends creative development.
- Andrey Odintsov is appointed Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games, after consulting on user acquisition for Multicast Games. - Dan Lazarides becomes Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, following a senior vice‑president role at Sega Europe. Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised his arrival, noting that his leadership will reinforce the studio’s "player‑first" strategy.
- Karen Ionescu takes the Digital Sales Manager role at Kalypso Media UK, bringing 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. - Supercell hires 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 roles at Motorica and Xsolla. - Olivia Lee is named Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, having earlier coordinated internal programs for the studio.
- Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator, after a stint 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 says she looks forward to supporting iconic franchises across Bethesda and Xbox. - Maddie Richter is appointed Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, transitioning from a social media role 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 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, citing a desire to push AI entertainment boundaries. - Sathvik Sudireddy becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games, after product management 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 appointments illustrate the fluid nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment sector, where seasoned veterans frequently shift between development studios, publishing houses, and ancillary services.
Such cross‑pollination helps spread best practices, fosters innovation, and ensures that companies can draw on a deep pool of expertise to meet the evolving expectations of gamers worldwide.