Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the games sector can be a real challenge. To help industry professionals stay informed, we publish regular round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves. If you know of a change that belongs in this list—new appointments, role shifts, or departures—please forward the relevant details (name, new title, new company, previous role and employer) to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
In a significant development for CodeDev Group, former Epic Games executive Ben Board has taken the helm as Chief Executive Officer of The Performance Guys, the company’s optimisation specialist unit. Board’s career spans more than a decade of senior positions in game technology and business development.
He joined Epic in 2017 as a developer‑support manager, later becoming the business development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine. Prior to his Epic tenure, Board held leadership roles at iconic studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a deep understanding of both classic and modern game development pipelines.
"Ben is a true industry heavyweight 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 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 indie studio released its debut title, The Plucky Squire, in September 2024.
His return to the Pokémon franchise places him back at the creative core of one of the world’s most beloved IPs, where he will oversee visual direction, character design, and overall artistic strategy. Billy King steps into the role of Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King’s résumé includes a stint as lead concept artist at ZeniMax Online Studios and senior concept artist work for Amazon Games, where he contributed to a range of high‑profile projects.
At Respawn, he will be responsible for shaping the visual language of upcoming titles, collaborating closely with art directors and production leads. Other notable appointments include: - Sam Duncombe, now Brand Marketing Manager at Team17, after serving as Product Manager for games and film at Warner Bros.
Discovery. - Cansu Karahan Can, who becomes People and Culture Manager at Loom Games, having previously held the same position at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). - Christopher Wulf, promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller; he first joined the firm in 2021 after a senior role at The Triple‑i Initiative.
- Julie Derhak, appointed Producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, where she worked on Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite collaboration. - 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, having started as a graduate audio designer with the studio in 2022. - Nate Nanzer, leaving Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to become EVP, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was SVP 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, appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Gutnik moves back to the entertainment side after two years heading media, social, and analytics at Kia America, and after a six‑year stretch at Prime Video and Amazon Studios where she led digital and ad‑tech media. - Lorna Antoniazzi, now Art Producer at Studio MDHR, previously a producer at Roarty Digital where she contributed to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite.
- Aysu Kutbay, hired as Product Manager at Grand Games after a product‑management 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 simultaneously serving as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing. - Tim Coombs, named Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox (2020‑2026) and held product‑marketing leadership positions for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech. - Erik Mogensen, exiting 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. - Ryan Rubin, joining Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin’s background includes senior producer roles at Netflix (working on Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset) and five years at Riot Games on League of Legends creative development. - Andrey Odintsov, appointed Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games; formerly User Acquisition Manager at Multicast Games and an independent growth consultant.
- Dan Lazarides, taking the CMO role at Frontier Developments after serving as SVP of Marketing at Sega Europe. Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised his experience, noting that his leadership will "continue Frontier's upward momentum" and support a "player‑first" strategy. - Karen Ionescu, hired as Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK, bringing prior sales experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. - Hannah Barrett, promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right.
- Anni Pyy, becoming Contract Manager at Supercell after four years in the same capacity at Metacore. - Nathan Solbrandt, appointed SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD; his previous roles include senior account executive at Motorica and VP of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla.
- Olivia Lee, now Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, after serving as associate producer for internal events and programs. - Ciarah Pritchard, hired as Account Coordinator at Xsolla, formerly an account performance manager at Playback Rewards. - Tracey Thompson, returning to Bethesda as VP of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left for EA in 2019, and now looks forward to supporting iconic franchises across Bethesda and Xbox.
- Maddie Richter, appointed Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a stint as Social Media Manager for 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 (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 educator at Team Gramps, Queensguard, and Submarine Art School). - Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger, added to 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. - Sathvik Sudireddy, hired as Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games; formerly product manager on Call of Duty at Activision.
- Joe Chard, appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games after serving as VP, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product at Jam City, with additional senior roles at Disney and Warner Bros. These movements illustrate the dynamic nature of talent circulation within the interactive entertainment ecosystem, highlighting how experience in one studio often fuels innovation at another. The cross‑pollination of expertise—from optimisation and performance engineering to creative direction, marketing, and community management—continues to shape the industry's evolution and ensures that players worldwide benefit from fresh ideas and refined execution.