Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions across the games sector can be a daunting task. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves.
If you have a change at your studio that you think belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, company, and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. In a significant leadership shift, Ben Board—formerly a senior executive at Epic Games—has been installed as chief executive officer of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group. 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 British studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a broad perspective on both classic and modern game development pipelines.
"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 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 whimsical art direction. His return signals Pokémon’s continued investment in fresh visual leadership. Billy King steps into the role of Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously led concept teams at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, where he contributed to a range of high‑profile projects.
His portfolio of creature and environment designs is expected to enrich Respawn’s upcoming titles. Other notable moves include: - Sam Duncombe, now Brand Marketing Manager at Team 17, after a product‑management tenure covering games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Cansu Karahan Can, appointed People and Culture Manager at Loom Games, previously in the same capacity at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). - Christopher Wulf, promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller, a role he’s held since joining in 2021 following senior business‑and‑event work at The Triple‑i Initiative. - Julie Derhak, named Producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast.
Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, where she helped shape Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite crossover. - Alvaro Menéndez, now International Social Lead at Mojang Studios, after serving as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid. - Linus Johnsson, promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments.
He entered Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since risen through the sound‑design ranks. - Nate Nanzer, after seven years at Epic Games, leaves to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic title was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation. "The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting," he said, adding that he will cheer Epic from the sidelines.
- Julia Gutnik, appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Gutnik previously oversaw media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios in digital and ad‑tech leadership roles. "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 explained.
- Lorna Antoniazzi, now Art Producer at Studio MDHR, after producing at Roarty Digital on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. - Aysu Kutbay, hired as Product Manager at Grand Games, previously in the same role at Rollic.
- David Bailey, returning to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey first joined Games Workshop in 2019, left in 2021 for 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." - Liana Murphy, appointed Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after serving as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing. - Tim Coombs, now Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox (2020‑2026) and held product‑marketing roles for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech. - Erik Mogensen, departing 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 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." - Ryan Rubin, joining Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin came from Netflix, where he produced mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, and previously spent five years at Riot Games on League of Legends creative development. - Andrey Odintsov, appointed Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games.
He previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth consultant. - Dan Lazarides, named Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides arrived from Sega Europe, where he was Senior Vice President of Marketing, succeeding Jo Cooke after her promotion to Frontier CEO.
Cooke praised his appointment, noting that his experience with large IPs will reinforce Frontier’s player‑first strategy. - Karen Ionescu, hired as Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK.
Ionescu’s background includes sales leadership at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson said, "She brings a wealth of commercial experience and long‑standing relationships across both retail and digital sales channels." - Hannah Barrett, promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining as an account executive in December 2025. - Anni Pyy, appointed Contract Manager at Supercell.
Pyy previously held the same role at Metacore for four years. - Nathan Solbrandt, now 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, hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, following an associate‑producer stint for internal programs.
- Ciarah Pritchard, appointed Account Coordinator at Xsolla, after serving as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards. - Tracey Thompson, returning to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications. Thompson first joined Bethesda in 2009, left for EA in 2019, and now says she looks forward to supporting iconic franchises across Bethesda and Xbox. - Maddie Richter, named Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a role as Social Media Manager at Alaska Airlines.
- Dana Duffield, joining Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, previously senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment. - Yogscast Games announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis as PR and Influencer Manager (formerly Creator and Community Director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney as Production Coordinator (ex‑Junior Producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang as 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 joined 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 remarked, "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, now Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games, after product‑management work on Call of Duty at Activision and a business‑development internship at Rockstar. - Joe Chard, appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard previously held senior leadership positions at Jam City, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
These appointments illustrate the fluid nature of talent within the interactive entertainment industry, where seasoned veterans often move between major publishers, indie studios, and emerging tech ventures, bringing cross‑disciplinary expertise that fuels innovation across the sector.