Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the games sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves. If you know of any new appointments or role changes that belong in this list, please forward the person's name, new title, company, and previous position to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been installed as chief executive officer of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group. Board joined Epic in 2017 as a developer support manager, later taking charge of business development for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine.
His résumé also includes senior leadership roles at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a breadth of experience across both development and publishing. "Ben is a genuine heavyweight in our industry, with a reputation and technical credibility that speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "He understands game creation from the low‑level engine code to high‑level developer relations on the world’s biggest platforms. Appointing Ben as CEO of The Performance Guys sends a clear signal: if a title suffers from performance issues on any engine, we have the most capable team on the planet to resolve them." James Turner has re‑joined The Pokémon Company International, this time 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 brand he helped shape for many years. Billy King has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously led concept work at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, bringing a strong portfolio of sci‑fi and fantasy visuals to his new role.
Sam Duncombe moves to Team17 as Brand Marketing Manager after a stint as Product Manager – Games and Film at Warner Bros. Discovery, where he oversaw cross‑media initiatives for several high‑profile franchises.
Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously held the same title at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). Her expertise in talent development and organisational health will support Loom Games’ growing team. Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller.
Wulf, who entered the company in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, adding a strong events‑driven perspective to his new responsibilities. Julie Derhak steps into the role of Producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego Fortnite collaboration, giving her a solid background in large‑scale live service production.
Alvaro Menéndez becomes International Social Lead at Mojang Studios after serving as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid. His global social strategy experience will help expand the reach of titles like Minecraft.
Linus Johnsson is promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments. Johnsson started at Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since progressed to a senior position, shaping the soundscapes of several upcoming titles. 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 most recent Epic position was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation. He said, "The ambition and vision for what's next at Paramount are incredibly exciting. I've spent my career at the crossroads of games, entertainment, and fandom, and the chance to help build the next chapter was simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik takes the helm as 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 remarked, "After two years in the auto sector, I'm returning to my entertainment roots and to the place that shaped me into a global marketing leader." Lorna Antoniazzi is appointed Art Producer at Studio MDHR, coming from Roarty Digital where she produced work on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. Aysu Kutbay joins Grand Games as Product Manager, after previously managing products at Rollic. David Bailey returns to Games Workshop 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 says, "It's a privilege to return to the vast Warhammer universes and help drive new licensing opportunities." Liana Murphy becomes Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, following a dual role as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing.
Tim Coombs is named Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox (2020‑2026) and held product marketing leadership 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. He spent 23 years at Games Workshop, most recently as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing, reflecting on his time with "First Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers…" and looking forward to his next chapter.
Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer, after senior producer roles at Netflix (Squid Game: Unleashed, Selling Sunset) and five years at Riot Games working on League of Legends creative development. Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games, having previously served as User Acquisition Manager at Multicast Games and currently operating as an independent growth consultant.
Dan Lazarides is appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and steps into the role following Jo Cooke’s promotion to CEO. Frontier CEO Jo Cooke said, "Dan brings a wealth of experience on some of the industry's largest IPs, and his leadership will keep our player‑first strategy at the heart of everything we do." Karen Ionescu takes the position of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK, after sales roles at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games.
Managing Director Andrew Johnson praised her extensive retail and digital channel expertise. 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 role at Metacore for four years. Nathan Solbrandt becomes SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior account work at Motorica and a VP role at Xsolla for the Americas.
Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, building on her experience 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 VP of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, later moved to EA in 2019, and now says, "I look forward to partnering with the talented teams across Bethesda and Xbox to support some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment." Maddie Richter becomes Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a stint as Social Media Manager for Alaska Airlines.
Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, previously a senior narrative designer 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, formerly producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and educator 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. Holm noted, "At Jars AI we saw hundreds of thousands of creators use AI to shape weird new worlds and stories, and we're excited to keep pushing the boundaries of AI entertainment in our new roles." Sathvik Sudireddy is hired by Rockstar Games as Marketing Manager, Live Services, after product management on Call of Duty at Activision and an internship in business development at Rockstar.
Joe Chard becomes Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games, following senior leadership positions at Jam City, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Entertainment.