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 notable movements. If your organization has experienced a recent staffing change that you think belongs in this list, please forward the individual's name, new title, and company, along with their previous role and employer, 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 entered Epic in 2017 as a developer support manager, later moving into the business development director role for both 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 Myke Parrot. "He understands game development from every angle – from coding 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 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 earned praise for its inventive mechanics and narrative charm.
Billy King has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously headed concept work at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as Senior Concept Artist for Amazon Games, where his designs helped shape several high‑profile live‑service titles. Sam Duncombe steps into the role of Brand Marketing Manager at Team17, after a stint as Product Manager – Games and Film at Warner Bros.
Discovery. In his new position, Duncombe will oversee brand strategy for the publisher’s diverse portfolio, from classic 2D platformers to emerging indie collaborations. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, bringing experience from a similar role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). Her focus will be on nurturing talent and fostering an inclusive workplace as Loom expands its experimental titles.
Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller. Wulf, who arrived at 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 adventure‑gaming projects. Julie Derhak becomes a 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 crossover, and will now apply her production expertise to the tabletop‑gaming giant’s flagship franchise.
Alvaro Menéndez takes on the International Social Lead role at Mojang Studios. Menéndez formerly served as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global community initiatives for titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League. Linus Johnsson has been elevated to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments.
Johnsson joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since contributed to the soundscapes of several of the studio’s simulation titles. Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games.
Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Monetisation. He remarked, "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 managed digital and ad‑tech media operations.
She said, "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." Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer, after producing at Roarty Digital on projects like Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. Aysu Kutbay becomes Product Manager at Grand Games, following a product‑management role at Rollic where she oversaw mobile‑game pipelines. 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 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 is appointed Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after serving concurrently as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing. Tim Coombs becomes Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026, having joined the console maker in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy.
Earlier, he led product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard (2017) and Amazon Game Tech (until 2020). 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. 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 for Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and spent five years at Riot Games developing creative content for the League of Legends IP.
Andrey Odintsov is named 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 game studios. Dan Lazarides takes the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides was Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after her promotion to Frontier CEO in January.
Cooke praised him, noting that his experience with major IPs will "continue Frontier's upward momentum" and support a "player‑first" strategy. Karen Ionescu becomes Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK, after sales roles at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson said, "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, having joined as an Account Executive in December 2025.
Supercell appoints Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously held the same position 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 stint at Xsolla for the Americas. Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, where she previously served as Associate Producer for internal events and programs. Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator, after working as an Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards.
Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, rose to Associate VP of Communications, left in 2019 for EA, 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 at Nintendo of America, after a tenure as Social Media Manager for Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, following a senior narrative design role 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, with past experience as Producer, Animator, and Artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and as an instructor at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone).
Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger have been added to Roblox's Foundation AI team to bolster 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 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 joins Rockstar Games as Marketing Manager, Live Services, after product‑management work on Call of Duty at Activision and an internship in business development at Rockstar. 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.