Keeping up with the constant flow of personnel changes in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task. To make it easier for readers, we gather the most noteworthy appointments, promotions and departures into a single, regularly‑published roundup. If you know of a relevant move that isn’t listed here, feel free to email the details—name, new title, new company, and previous role—to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. One of the headline announcements this month is the appointment of Ben Board as chief executive officer of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group.
Board is a veteran of the industry, having joined Epic Games in 2017 as a developer‑support manager before moving on to become business‑development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine. Earlier in his career he held senior positions at iconic studios such as 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 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 rejoined 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 storytelling. His return to the Pokémon franchise is being welcomed by longtime fans who remember his earlier contributions to the series’ visual language. Respawn Entertainment has added Billy King to its creative roster as lead concept artist.
King arrives from ZeniMax Online Studios, where he led concept work, and previously served as senior concept artist at Amazon Games. His experience across a variety of genres is expected to enrich Respawn’s upcoming projects, which include both new IPs and expansions to existing franchises.
Team17 announced Sam Duncombe as its new brand‑marketing manager. Duncombe transitions from Warner Bros.
Discovery, where he oversaw product management for games and film, bringing a cross‑media perspective that should help Team17 continue its growth in both digital and physical markets. Loom Games welcomed Cansu Karahan Can as people‑and‑culture manager.
Can previously held the same role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion) and is tasked with strengthening Loom’s internal community as the studio expands its indie‑focused portfolio. Fellow Traveler promoted Christopher Wulf 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 his promotion reflects Fellow Traveler’s ambition to broaden its partnership network.
Wizards of the Coast named Julie Derhak a producer for the Dungeons & Dragons line. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite collaboration, and will now apply her production expertise to the tabletop and digital D&D experiences. Mojang Studios appointed Alvaro Menéndez as international social lead. Menéndez comes from Epic Games Madrid, where he served as senior marketing manager, and will oversee global community engagement for Minecraft and related titles.
Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to senior audio designer. Johnsson, who joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer, has quickly risen through the ranks thanks to his skill in crafting immersive soundscapes for titles such as Planet Coaster and Elite Dangerous. After a seven‑year tenure at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departed 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." Amazon Gaming promoted Julia Gutnik to head of media. Gutnik previously led media, social and analytics for Kia America and spent six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she headed digital and ad‑tech media.
She said returning to the entertainment side feels like coming home after a stint in the automotive sector. Studio MDHR added 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 projects at the creators of Cuphead. Grand Games named Aysu Kutbay product manager.
Kutbay moves from Rollic, where she oversaw product strategy for several mobile hits, and will now focus on Grand Games’ portfolio of casual and mid‑core titles. Games Workshop welcomed back David Bailey as lead commercial manager – licensing. Bailey originally joined the company in 2019, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and returns eager to “help spearhead new business for licensing” within the Warhammer universes. Second Stage appointed Liana Murphy as account director for U.S.
operations. Murphy previously held dual roles as COO and head of public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, bringing extensive agency experience to the independent publisher. Amazon Luna announced Tim Coombs as head of brand marketing.
Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox (2020‑2026) and held product‑marketing roles for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech, giving him a deep understanding of both console and cloud‑gaming ecosystems. Erik Mogensen exited Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming. Prior to that, he spent 23 years at Games Workshop, culminating as head of business development and consumer‑product licensing, and reflected on his time working on beloved brands such as Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering.
Blizzard Entertainment added Ryan Rubin as senior producer. Rubin previously produced two mobile titles for Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and spent five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends franchise.
Battlestate Games named Andrey Odintsov head of marketing. Odintsov, formerly user‑acquisition manager at Multicast Games, now works as an independent growth consultant, and will steer Battlestate’s global acquisition strategy. Frontier Developments appointed Dan Lazarides as chief marketing officer, succeeding Jo Cooke who moved to the CEO role. Lazarides previously served as senior vice‑president of marketing at Sega Europe and is expected to champion Frontier’s “player‑first” strategy across its simulation‑focused titles.
Kalypso Media UK hired Karen Ionescu as digital sales manager. Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo and Rising Star Games, and will manage both retail and digital distribution channels for the publisher.
Swipe Right, a specialist esports and gaming communications agency, promoted Hannah Barrett to senior account executive after she joined as an account executive in December 2025. Supercell named Anni Pyy contract manager; Pyy previously held the same position at Metacore for four years.
Fintech platform ZBD appointed Nathan Solbrandt as senior vice‑president of business development. Solbrandt’s background includes senior account work at Motorica and a vice‑president role at Xsolla for the Americas. Riot Games added Olivia Lee as internal events producer, building on her prior experience coordinating internal programs.
Xsolla hired Ciarah Pritchard as account coordinator after she served as account performance manager at Playback Rewards. Bethesda welcomed back Tracey Thompson as vice‑president of communications.
Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left for EA in 2019, and now returns to oversee messaging for flagship franchises. Nintendo of America appointed Maddie Richter as social media marketing manager; she previously managed social channels for Alaska Airlines. Yotta Games added narrative designer Dana Duffield, who came from Series Entertainment where she was senior narrative designer. Yogscast Games announced 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, former producer/animator at Team Gramps and Queensguard, and instructor at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone).
Roblox’s Foundation AI team expanded with Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger, co‑founders of Jars AI, an interactive AI platform they launched in 2023 after raising $3.5 million from Google and other investors. Their expertise will support the development of Build, Roblox’s mobile‑first AI creation tool. Rockstar Games hired Sathvik Sudireddy as marketing manager for live services.
Sudireddy previously managed product for Call of Duty at Activision and completed an internship in business development at Rockstar. Netflix Games appointed Joe Chard as lead product manager.
Chard’s résumé includes a vice‑president and studio‑general‑manager stint at Jam City, senior roles at Disney and Warner Bros., and a track record of launching successful mobile and console experiences. These movements illustrate the fluid nature of talent within the gaming ecosystem, where seasoned veterans often shift between development, publishing, and service‑focused roles, bringing fresh perspectives that shape the next generation of interactive entertainment.