Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most notable movements. If your organization has recent staffing changes that merit inclusion, please forward the employee's name, new title, new employer, as well as their previous role and company to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been tapped to lead The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group, as its new chief executive officer.
Board joined Epic in 2017 as a developer support manager, later becoming the business development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine. His résumé also includes senior leadership positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a broad perspective on both legacy and modern development pipelines. "Ben is a true heavyweight in the industry, with a reputation and technical gravitas that speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "He has seen game creation from every angle—from writing engine scripts to overseeing developer relations for the world’s biggest platforms.
Appointing Ben as CEO sends a clear signal: wherever a title is struggling with performance on any engine, we have the most capable team on the planet to resolve it." In other headline news, James Turner has re‑joined The Pokémon Company International, stepping into the role of Creative Director for Pokémon Art and Design. Turner previously 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. Billy King has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment.
King brings a wealth of experience from his prior positions as Lead Concept Artist at ZeniMax Online Studios and Senior Concept Artist at Amazon Games, where he helped shape the visual direction of several high‑profile projects. Sam Duncombe moves to Team17 as Brand Marketing Manager after serving as Product Manager for games and film at Warner Bros.
Discovery, where he oversaw cross‑media campaigns and brand strategy for several flagship titles. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously held the same title at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion).
In her new role, Can will focus on talent acquisition, employee development, and fostering an inclusive studio environment. Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller.
Wulf, who entered the company in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as Senior Business and Event Manager, bringing a strong background in partnership cultivation and event coordination. Julie Derhak takes on the position of 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 collaboration, giving her a solid foundation in large‑scale production pipelines. Alvaro Menéndez becomes International Social Lead at Mojang Studios after serving as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he led global community initiatives and influencer programs. Linus Johnsson has been elevated to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments.
Johnsson first joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since progressed through the ranks, contributing to the soundscapes of several of the studio’s recent releases. After a seven‑year tenure at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to assume the role of Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic position was Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Monetisation.
"The ambition and vision for what's next at Paramount are incredibly exciting," Nanzer said. "My career has always sat at the intersection of games, entertainment, and fandom, and the chance to help shape the next chapter there was simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik has been appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Previously she led media, social, and analytics for Kia America, and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios as Head of Digital and AdTech Media. "Returning to my entertainment roots after two years in the automotive sector feels like coming home," Gutnik remarked.
Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer, after a stint at Roarty Digital where she contributed to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite as a producer. Aysu Kutbay becomes Product Manager at Grand Games, having previously overseen product initiatives at Rollic.
David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey originally joined the company in 2019 as Senior Licensing Manager, left in 2021 to become Director of Business Affairs at Sumo Digital, and now says, "It's a privilege to return to the vast Warhammer universes and help drive new licensing opportunities." Liana Murphy is appointed Account Director for US Operations at Second Stage after serving concurrently as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing.
Tim Coombs takes the helm as Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and held product marketing roles 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. Prior to that, he spent 23 years at Games Workshop, most recently as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing. "Working on my favorite brands—Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering—has been a dream," Mogensen reflected.
Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin’s background includes senior producer roles at Netflix for mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, as well as five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends IP.
Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. He previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant. Dan Lazarides is named Chief Marketing Officer of Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke who moved to the CEO role.
Lazarides formerly served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe. "Dan brings a wealth of experience with some of the industry’s biggest IPs, and his leadership will reinforce our player‑first strategy," said Frontier CEO Jo Cooke. Karen Ionescu steps into the role of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK after sales leadership positions at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games.
Managing Director Andrew Johnson praised her extensive retail and digital channel expertise. Hannah Barrett has been promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, where she began as an Account Executive in December 2025. Supercell appoints Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously held the same title at Metacore for four years. Nathan Solbrandt becomes Senior Vice President 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 joins Riot Games as Internal Events Producer, building on her prior experience as Associate Producer for internal events and programs. Ciarah Pritchard takes on the role of Account Coordinator at Xsolla, after serving as 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 for EA in 2019, and now says, "I look forward to partnering with the talented teams at Bethesda and Xbox to support some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment." Maddie Richter is appointed Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, coming from a social media manager role at Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer after senior narrative work 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 (with a background in production, animation, and teaching at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone).
Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger have 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. "At Jars AI we saw hundreds of thousands of creators use AI to shape new worlds, and we’re excited to keep pushing the boundaries of AI entertainment in our new roles," Holm said.
Sathvik Sudireddy becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games, 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. These appointments reflect the ongoing dynamism of the games industry, where talent moves across studios, platforms, and even adjacent entertainment sectors, continually reshaping the creative and commercial landscape.