Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions and departures across 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 know of a recent appointment or a transition that belongs in this list, please forward the person’s name, new title, new company and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been tapped to lead The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group, as its chief executive officer.
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 Studios and BossAlien.
"Ben is a genuine heavyweight in the industry, with a reputation and technical credibility that speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "He has seen game creation from every angle – from writing engine scripts to overseeing developer relations for the world’s biggest platforms.
Appointing him as CEO sends a clear signal: if your title is suffering from performance issues on any engine, we have the premier team on the planet to fix it." James Turner has rejoined 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 critical praise for its whimsical storytelling. 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 high‑profile projects. Sam Duncombe is now Brand Marketing Manager at Team17, after a period as Product Manager for games and film at Warner Bros.
Discovery. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously performed the same function at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion).
Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller. Wulf entered the firm in 2021 and before that worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager. Julie Derhak takes on the position of Producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast.
She spent seven years at Epic Games, where she contributed to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite collaboration. Alvaro Menéndez becomes International Social Lead at Mojang Studios. Menéndez’s most recent role was Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid.
Linus Johnsson advances to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments, after joining the studio in 2022 as a graduate audio designer. Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to assume the role of EVP, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s last position at Epic was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation. "The scale of ambition and vision for what comes next is incredibly exciting," Nanzer said.
"I’ve spent my career at the crossroads of games, entertainment and fandom, and the chance to help shape Paramount’s future was simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik is appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Prior to this, she led media, social and analytics at Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, heading digital and ad‑tech media. "After two years in the automotive sector, I’m returning to my entertainment roots and to the company that forged my path as a global marketing leader," Gutnik explained. Lorna Antoniazzi becomes Art Producer at Studio MDHR, after previously producing at Roarty Digital where she worked on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite.
Aysu Kutbay is named Product Manager at Grand Games, coming from a product‑management role at Rollic. 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 a director role at Sumo Digital, and now says, "It’s a privilege to return to the vast Warhammer universes and help drive new licensing opportunities." Liana Murphy takes the post of Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after serving as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing.
Tim Coombs is appointed Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. He previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026, having joined the console maker in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy. Earlier, Coombs managed product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard (2017) and later led the Amazon Game Tech team. Erik Mogensen exits Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for digital gaming.
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 work on my favourite brands – Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers – and I look forward to the next chapter, wherever it leads." Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin’s prior experience includes senior producer roles at Netflix for mobile titles such as Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, as well as five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends franchise. Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games, after a stint as User Acquisition Manager at Multicast Games and work as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant.
Dan Lazarides is named Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. He previously held the SVP of Marketing position at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke following her promotion to CEO of Frontier.
Cooke praised Lazarides, noting his experience with major IPs and his focus on a player‑first strategy. Karen Ionescu takes on the role of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK, after sales leadership positions at Numskull Games, Nintendo and Rising Star Games.
Managing Director Andrew Johnson said, "Karen brings a wealth of commercial experience and strong relationships across retail and digital channels." Hannah Barrett is 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 held the same title at Metacore for four years. Nathan Solbrandt becomes SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior account work at Motorica and a vice‑presidential role at Xsolla for the Americas. Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, following a role 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, later moved to EA in 2019, and now looks forward to supporting iconic franchises across Bethesda and Xbox.
Maddie Richter becomes Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a social media stint at Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, having been Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment.
Yogscast Games announces three new hires: Charlotte Willis as PR and Influencer Manager (formerly Creator and Community Director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney as Production Coordinator (formerly Junior Producer at Atelier 11) and Charlotte Pang as 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 join Roblox’s Foundation AI team to help develop 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. 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.