Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task. To make it easier for industry professionals and enthusiasts alike, we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves.
If you know of a recent appointment or a transition that belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company, and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. **Ben Board – CEO, The Performance Guys (CodeDev Group)** Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has taken the helm of CodeDev Group’s optimisation arm, The Performance Guys, as 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 true industry heavyweight whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said CodeDev Group founder 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." **James Turner – Creative Director, Pokémon Art & Design (The Pokémon Company International)** James Turner has re‑joined The Pokémon Company International, this time as the creative director overseeing art and design for the Pokémon franchise. 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 storytelling and hand‑drawn aesthetic. His return to the Pokémon umbrella signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand consistency across games, merchandise, and media.
**Billy King – Lead Concept Artist (Respawn Entertainment)** Respawn Entertainment announced the hiring of Billy King as its new lead concept artist. King previously shaped visual concepts at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as senior concept artist for Amazon Games, where he contributed to several high‑profile projects.
His expertise in character design, environment art, and narrative visualisation is expected to enhance Respawn’s upcoming titles, which include the next installment of the *Titanfall* series and a new original IP. **Additional Highlights** - **Sam Duncombe** becomes brand‑marketing manager at Team 17 after a product‑management role covering games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery.
- **Cansu Karahan Can** joins Loom Games as people‑and‑culture manager, bringing experience from Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). - **Christopher Wulf** is promoted to senior business‑development manager at Fellow Traveler, having joined the firm in 2021 after a senior role at The Triple‑i Initiative. - **Julie Derhak** steps into a producer role for *Dungeons & Dragons* at Wizards of the Coast; she spent seven years at Epic Games working on Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite crossover.
- **Alvaro Menéndez** takes the position of 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 began as a graduate audio designer in 2022.
- **Nate Nanzer** departs Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to become executive vice‑president, head of commercial & marketing at Paramount Games. He previously held the SVP title for partnerships and monetisation at Epic. "The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting," Nanzer said, adding gratitude for his former colleagues.
- **Julia Gutnik** is appointed head of media at Amazon Gaming. Her background includes leading media, social, and analytics at Kia America, as well as senior digital and ad‑tech roles at Prime Video and Amazon Studios. - **Lorna Antoniazzi** joins Studio MDHR as art producer, after producing at Roarty Digital on *Fortnite Battle Royale* and *Lego Fortnite*.
- **Aysu Kutbay** becomes product manager at Grand Games, following a product‑management stint at Rollic. - **David Bailey** returns to Games Workshop as lead commercial manager – licensing, having previously left the company in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital.
- **Liana Murphy** is named account director, US operations at Second Stage, after serving as COO and head of public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing. - **Tim Coombs** takes over as head of brand marketing for Amazon Luna.
He 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.
His 23‑year career at Games Workshop culminated in heading business development and consumer‑product licensing. - **Ryan Rubin** joins Blizzard Entertainment as senior producer, after senior producer roles at Netflix (working on *Squid Game: Unleashed* and *Selling Sunset*) and five years at Riot Games on creative development for the *League of Legends* IP. - **Andrey Odintsov** becomes head of marketing at Battlestate Games, following user‑acquisition work at Multicast Games and independent consulting.
- **Dan Lazarides** is appointed chief marketing officer at Frontier Developments. He previously served as senior vice‑president of marketing at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke, who moved to Frontier’s CEO role in January. Cooke praised Lazarides for his experience with large‑scale IPs and his player‑first strategy.
- **Karen Ionescu** joins Kalypso Media UK as digital sales manager, bringing prior sales leadership from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. - **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. - **Anni Pyy** becomes contract manager at Supercell, after four years in the same capacity at Metacore.
- **Nathan Solbrandt** is named senior‑vice‑president of business development at fintech platform ZBD, following senior account work at Motorica and a VP role at Xsolla for the Americas. - **Olivia Lee** takes the internal events producer role at Riot Games, after serving as associate producer for internal events and programs. - **Ciarah Pritchard** joins Xsolla as account coordinator, previously working as an account performance manager at Playback Rewards. - **Tracey Thompson** returns to Bethesda as vice‑president of communications.
She originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left for EA in 2019, and now looks forward to supporting iconic franchises across Bethesda and Xbox. - **Maddie Richter** is appointed social media marketing manager at Nintendo of America, after a stint as social media manager for Alaska Airlines. - **Dana Duffield** becomes a narrative designer at Yotta Games, following senior narrative design work at Series Entertainment. - **Yogscast Games** announces three new hires: Charlotte Willis (PR & 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 roles as producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, plus teaching experience 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. They co‑founded Jars AI in 2023, raising $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 positions at Jam City, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros.
Entertainment. These moves illustrate the fluid nature of talent within the interactive entertainment ecosystem, where seasoned veterans frequently shift between studios, publishers, and tech platforms, bringing fresh perspectives and deep expertise to new challenges. The continued cross‑pollination of ideas helps drive innovation, improve player experiences, and sustain the industry’s rapid growth into the next decade.