Keeping up with the constant flow of personnel changes in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups of notable hires, promotions, and departures. If you know of any appointments or role changes that deserve a mention, please forward the individual's name, new title, new company, and previous position 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 first joined Epic in 2017 as a developer support manager, later moving into the role of 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 classic and modern game development pipelines. "Ben is a genuine heavyweight in our industry, with a reputation and technical credibility that speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group.
"He has seen game creation from every angle – from writing engine scripts to nurturing developer relationships on the world’s biggest platforms. Appointing Ben as CEO of The Performance Guys sends a crystal‑clear signal: if your title suffers from performance bottlenecks on any engine, you now have the most capable team on the planet to resolve them." In other news, 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 to the Pokémon franchise is being welcomed as a boost to the brand’s visual evolution. Billy King has been promoted to Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously held the same title at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as Senior Concept Artist for Amazon Games, where his work helped shape the aesthetic of several high‑profile live‑service titles. Sam Duncombe is now Brand Marketing Manager at Team17, after a stint as Product Manager – Games and Film at Warner Bros.
Discovery. In his new role, Duncombe will oversee brand strategy for classic Team17 franchises while exploring cross‑media opportunities.
Cansu Karahan Can has taken on the People and Culture Manager position at Loom Games. Prior to this, she managed people and culture initiatives at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), focusing on employee wellbeing and inclusive workplace practices. Christopher Wulf earned a promotion to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller. Wulf joined the firm in 2021 after serving as Senior Business and Event Manager for The Triple‑i Initiative, where he coordinated large‑scale gaming conferences and partnership programs.
Julie Derhak has been named 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, before moving into tabletop production.
Alvaro Menéndez becomes International Social Lead at Mojang Studios. He previously worked 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 originally joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since contributed to the soundscapes of several major releases, including the acclaimed Planet Coaster sequel.
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 position at Epic was Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Monetisation. "The scale of ambition and vision for what comes next at Paramount is 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 decline." Julia Gutnik is now Head of Media at Amazon Gaming.
Before this, she led Media, Social & Analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she directed digital and ad‑tech media strategies. Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer. Antoniazzi previously produced at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, and brings a strong background in coordinating art pipelines for large‑scale live‑service projects.
Aysu Kutbay has taken the Product Manager role at Grand Games after serving as Product Manager at Rollic, where she oversaw the launch of several successful mobile titles in the casual genre. 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 to become Director of Business Affairs at Sumo Digital, and now returns to help expand licensing opportunities across the Warhammer universe.
Liana Murphy is appointed Account Director for US Operations at Second Stage. Murphy most recently held dual responsibilities as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, where she managed agency‑level client relationships and high‑visibility campaigns.
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 in his career he led product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard (2017) and later for 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, Mogensen spent 23 years at Games Workshop, culminating in the role of Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing, where he oversaw collaborations for Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Transformers.
Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment 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 IP. Andrey Odintsov is appointed Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games.
Odintsov’s background includes user‑acquisition leadership at Multicast Games and independent consulting on growth and go‑to‑market strategies for indie developers. Dan Lazarides takes the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Before Frontier, he served as Senior Vice President of Marketing for Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO in January.
"Dan brings a wealth of experience with some of the industry’s biggest IPs," said Cooke. "His focus on player‑first strategy will help us continue to champion community‑driven creativity." Karen Ionescu becomes Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu’s prior experience includes sales leadership at Numskull Games, as well as roles at Nintendo and Rising Star Games, giving her a comprehensive understanding of both retail and digital distribution channels. Hannah Barrett has been promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining the firm 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, where she managed external agreements and partnership contracts for mobile titles. Nathan Solbrandt becomes Senior Vice President of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD.
Solbrandt’s background includes senior account work at Motorica and a Vice‑President role in business development for Xsolla covering the Americas. Olivia Lee is now Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, building on her prior experience as Associate Producer for internal events and programs across the company.
Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator after serving as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards, where she optimized client reporting and revenue analytics. Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009 as Director of Publications, later becoming Associate VP of Communications before leaving in 2019 for a senior communications role at Electronic Arts. "I look forward to partnering with the talented teams at Bethesda and Xbox to support some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment," she said.
Maddie Richter is appointed Social Media Marketing Manager for Nintendo of America, after previously managing social channels for Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, bringing senior narrative design experience from 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 (formerly Junior Producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang as Publishing Coordinator (previously Producer, Animator, and Artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and an instructor 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, raising $3.5 million from Google and other investors.
"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," Holm explained. Sathvik Sudireddy becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games.
He previously served as Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision, following an internship in business development at Rockstar. Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard’s résumé includes a Vice‑President, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product role at Jam City for six years, as well as senior positions at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros.
Entertainment. These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the fluid nature of talent movement within the gaming ecosystem, highlighting how experience across different platforms, studios, and even industries continues to shape the future of interactive entertainment.