Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions and departures in the games sector can be a real challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves. If your studio has staff changes that you think belong in this list, please forward the 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 first joined Epic in 2017 as a developer support manager, later becoming business development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine. His résumé also includes senior leadership stints at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios and BossAlien, giving him a rare blend of technical depth and commercial savvy.
"Ben is a true industry heavy‑hitter whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "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 as Creative Director of Pokémon Art and Design. Turner departed 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 inventive storytelling. His return to Pokémon marks a homecoming for a designer who helped shape the visual language of the franchise for years. Billy King has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment.
King previously headed concept art at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, contributing to a range of high‑profile projects and honing a style that blends gritty realism with imaginative sci‑fi elements. Team 17 announced Sam Duncombe as its new Brand Marketing Manager.
Duncombe arrives from Warner Bros. Discovery, where he oversaw product management for games and film, and will now steer Team 17’s brand strategy across its diverse portfolio of indie hits. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager after a similar role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). Her focus will be on building inclusive workplace practices and nurturing talent within the rapidly expanding studio.
At Fellow Traveller, Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager. Wulf, who joined the company in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, and will now drive partnership growth for Fellow Traveller’s upcoming titles. Julie Derhak moves to Wizards of the Coast as a Producer for Dungeons & Dragons.
Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego Fortnite crossover, bringing a wealth of live‑service experience to the tabletop giant. Alvaro Menéndez takes on the role of International Social Lead at Mojang Studios. He previously served as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he led global social campaigns for titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League. Frontier Developments promotes Linus Johnsson to Senior Audio Designer.
Johnsson began his career at Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since risen through the ranks, now shaping the soundscapes for the studio’s next‑generation projects. After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games.
Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation. He 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. Gutnik previously led media, social and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she oversaw digital and ad‑tech media initiatives. She remarked, "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." Studio MDHR brings on Lorna Antoniazzi as Art Producer.
Antoniazzi previously produced at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, and will now help shepherd the visual development of new titles at the creators of Cuphead. Grand Games appoints Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager. Kutbay moves from Rollic, where she managed mobile game pipelines, to oversee Grand Games’ expanding catalogue. David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing.
Bailey originally 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 and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here. It's an incredible opportunity and it's great to be back in the fold working alongside great people." Liana Murphy becomes Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after serving simultaneously 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 until July 2026, having joined Xbox in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy. Earlier, he led product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and later 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’s prior 23‑year tenure at Games Workshop culminated in heading business development and consumer product licensing. He reflected, "It's not lost on me how special it's been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands. First Warhammer, and most recently Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers… the list goes on.
I'm very much looking forward to my next chapter, whatever and wherever that may be." Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin previously produced two shipped mobile titles at Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and spent five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends IP. Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games.
Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for games. Dan Lazarides is appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments.
Lazarides comes from Sega Europe, where he was Senior Vice President of Marketing, and replaces Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO. Cooke said, "We are delighted to welcome Dan to Frontier, who brings with him a wealth of experience on some of the industry's largest IP. 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.
Dan will be at the heart of our player‑first strategy, ensuring our publishing team champions player creativity and celebrates the way in which they play our games." Karen Ionescu takes the role of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu previously managed sales at Numskull Games and has held positions at Nintendo and Rising Star Games.
Managing Director Andrew Johnson noted, "We're delighted to welcome Karen to Kalypso Media UK. She brings a wealth of commercial experience and long‑standing relationships across both retail and digital sales channels, making her a fantastic addition to the team." 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. Supercell names 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 roles as Senior Account Executive at Motorica and Vice President of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla. Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, having previously coordinated internal programs and events. 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, rose to Associate VP of Communications, left for EA in 2019, and now says, "I'm looking forward to partnering with the talented people across Bethesda and Xbox, supporting the teams behind some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment, and helping bring their creativity and vision to players around the world." Maddie Richter becomes Social Media Marketing Manager for Nintendo of America, after a stint as Social Media Manager at Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, following a senior narrative designer role 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 (previously 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 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. Holm said, "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 becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games, after product management on Call of Duty at Activision and a business‑development internship at Rockstar.
Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games, after serving as Vice President, Studio General Manager and Head of Product at Jam City, and holding senior games positions at Disney and Warner Bros. Entertainment.