Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. To make it easier for industry insiders and enthusiasts alike, we publish regular round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves.
If you know of any new appointments or role changes that belong in this list, please forward the relevant details—name, new title, new company, previous role and former employer—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 is a veteran of the gaming world, having joined Epic Games in 2017 as a developer support manager before advancing to business development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine.
His résumé also includes senior leadership positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien. "Ben is a true industry heavy‑hitter whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said CodeDev Group founder and CEO Myke Parrot. "He understands game development from every angle – from writing 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 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 whimsical storytelling and inventive mechanics. Respawn Entertainment also announced a new lead concept artist: Billy King.
King arrives from ZeniMax Online Studios, where he led concept work, and previously held a senior concept artist role at Amazon Games. His portfolio includes work on large‑scale sci‑fi and fantasy titles, making him a strong fit for Respawn’s ambitious upcoming projects.
Team17 has added Sam Duncombe as brand marketing manager. Duncombe comes from Warner Bros. Discovery, where he managed product initiatives across games and film, bringing a cross‑media perspective to Team17’s marketing strategy.
Loom Games welcomes Cansu Karahan Can as people and culture manager. Can previously shaped employee experience at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), focusing on talent development and organisational health. At Fellow Traveller, Christopher Wulf has been promoted to senior business development manager.
Wulf, who joined the company in 2021, previously served as senior business and event manager for The Triple‑i Initiative, giving him a solid foundation in partnership cultivation. Wizards of the Coast has appointed Julie Derhak as a producer for Dungeons & Dragons. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite collaboration, experience that will prove valuable in managing tabletop‑to‑digital initiatives.
Mojang Studios names Alvaro Menéndez as international social lead. Menéndez formerly worked as senior marketing manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global community campaigns for titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League. Frontier Developments promotes Linus Johnsson to senior audio designer.
Johnsson, who joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer, has already contributed to the soundscapes of several high‑profile releases, earning him this promotion. After a seven‑year tenure at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to become executive vice‑president, head of commercial & marketing at Paramount Games.
Nanzer’s most recent role at Epic was senior vice‑president of partnerships and monetisation. "The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting," Nanzer said. "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." Amazon Gaming welcomes Julia Gutnik as head of media.
Gutnik previously led media, social, and analytics for Kia America, and before that spent six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios overseeing digital and ad‑tech media operations. "After two years navigating the auto industry, I am returning to my entertainment roots, and to the place that shaped me into a global marketing leader," she noted.
Studio MDHR adds Lorna Antoniazzi as art producer. Antoniazzi formerly produced at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, experience that will support Studio MDHR’s distinctive artistic direction. Grand Games appoints Aysu Kutbay as product manager. Kutbay previously managed product pipelines at Rollic, where she helped launch several successful mobile titles.
Games Workshop sees the return of David Bailey as lead commercial manager – licensing. Bailey originally joined the company in 2019 as senior licensing manager, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now returns to help steer licensing for the ever‑expanding Warhammer universe. "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," Bailey said.
Second Stage names Liana Murphy as account director for US operations. Murphy most recently held dual roles as COO and head of public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong operational background.
Amazon Luna appoints Tim Coombs as head of brand marketing. 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. Erik Mogensen exits Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming. Mogensen 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," he reflected.
Blizzard Entertainment adds Ryan Rubin as senior producer. Rubin previously produced two mobile titles for Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and spent five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends IP. Battlestate Games names Andrey Odintsov head of marketing. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant.
Frontier Developments announces Dan Lazarides as chief marketing officer. Lazarides formerly served as senior vice‑president of marketing at Sega Europe and steps into the role following Jo Cooke’s promotion to CEO.
"His leadership in this genre will continue Frontier's upward momentum, and his appointment to the role of CMO highlights our focus on our communities," said Cooke. Kalypso Media UK appoints Karen Ionescu as digital sales manager.
Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games, offering a blend of retail and digital expertise. Swipe Right promotes Hannah Barrett to senior account executive. Barrett joined the esports and gaming communications agency in December 2025 as an account executive and quickly earned a promotion. Supercell hires Anni Pyy as contract manager.
Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, overseeing legal and vendor relationships. Fintech platform ZBD names Nathan Solbrandt as senior vice‑president of business development. Solbrandt formerly worked as senior account executive at Motorica and served as vice‑president of business development for the Americas at Xsolla.
Riot Games adds Olivia Lee as internal events producer. Lee previously coordinated internal programs and events, ensuring employee engagement across the studio.
Xsolla welcomes Ciarah Pritchard as account coordinator. Pritchard previously managed account performance at Playback Rewards. Bethesda re‑appoints Tracey Thompson as vice‑president of communications.
Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, rose to associate VP of communications, left for EA in 2019, and now returns to help shape messaging for iconic franchises. Nintendo of America appoints Maddie Richter as social media marketing manager. Richter transitions from Alaska Airlines, where she managed social channels for a large consumer brand.
Yotta Games brings on Dana Duffield as narrative designer. Duffield previously served as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment, crafting storylines for narrative‑driven games.
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 past experience as producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, as well as teaching game design and animation). Roblox’s Foundation AI team expands with Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger, who join 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, and are eager to push AI entertainment boundaries. Rockstar Games adds Sathvik Sudireddy as marketing manager for live services. Sudireddy previously managed product for Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development.
Netflix Games appoints Joe Chard as lead product manager. Chard’s background includes a six‑year stint as vice‑president, studio general manager, and head of product at Jam City, plus senior roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment. These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of the gaming industry, where talent moves rapidly across studios, publishers, and related entertainment sectors, continually reshaping the creative and commercial landscape.