Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the video‑game sector can be a daunting task. To make it easier for industry professionals and enthusiasts alike, we publish regular round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves. If you know of a change that belongs in this list—whether it’s a new appointment, a transition to a different role, or a departure—please forward the details (name, new position, company, and previous role) to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. In a significant leadership shift, former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been installed as chief executive officer of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group.
Board’s resume 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 Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a deep‑rooted understanding of both game creation and platform strategy.
"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 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 inventive mechanics and charming visuals.
His return to the Pokémon franchise signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand consistency across the global franchise. Respawn Entertainment announced the promotion of Billy King to lead concept artist. King arrives from ZeniMax Online Studios, where he served as lead concept artist, and previously held a senior concept artist role at Amazon Games.
His portfolio includes work on large‑scale sci‑fi and fantasy IPs, and his appointment is expected to inject fresh visual ideas into Respawn’s upcoming projects. Team17 welcomed Sam Duncombe as brand marketing manager. Duncombe’s background includes a product‑manager position overseeing games and film at Warner Bros.
Discovery, where he coordinated cross‑media campaigns and drove brand awareness for a range of entertainment properties. Loom Games added Cansu Karahan Can as people and culture manager.
Can previously guided the same function at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), focusing on talent development and workplace culture in the indie sector. Fellow Traveller promoted Christopher Wulf to senior business development manager.
Wulf, who joined the firm in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, bringing extensive experience in partnership cultivation and event coordination. 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, before moving into tabletop RPG production. Mojang Studios appointed Alvaro Menéndez as international social lead. Menéndez’s most recent role was senior marketing manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global community initiatives and social‑media strategy. Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to senior audio designer.
Johnsson started at Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since contributed to the sound design of several high‑profile titles. After a seven‑year tenure at Epic, Nate Nanzer departed to become executive vice‑president and head of commercial & marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s Epic résumé includes a senior‑vice‑president position overseeing partnerships and monetisation. "The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting," Nanzer said.
"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 announced Julia Gutnik as head of media. Gutnik previously directed media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she led digital and ad‑tech media operations.
"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. Studio MDHR hired Lorna Antoniazzi as art producer.
Antoniazzi came from Roarty Digital, where she produced work on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, and will now support the visual pipeline for titles such as *Cuphead* and its upcoming sequel. Grand Games appointed Aysu Kutbay as product manager; Kutbay previously managed product strategy at Rollic, focusing on mobile‑first experiences. Games Workshop welcomed back David Bailey as lead commercial manager – licensing. Bailey originally joined the company in 2019 as senior licensing manager, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now returns to help expand the Warhammer licensing portfolio.
Second Stage added Liana Murphy as account director for US operations. Murphy previously held dual roles as COO and head of public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing. Amazon Luna named Tim Coombs head of brand marketing.
Coombs most recently served as director of brand management at Xbox until July 2026, after joining the console maker in 2020 as senior manager for brand strategy. Earlier, he was product marketing manager for Amazon Lumberyard (2017) and senior product marketing manager for Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen exited Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming. Mogensen’s career includes a 23‑year stretch at Games Workshop, culminating as head of business development and consumer‑product licensing.
"It's not lost on me how special it's been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands," he reflected. Blizzard Entertainment brought Ryan Rubin on board as senior producer. Rubin’s prior experience 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 franchise. Battlestate Games appointed Andrey Odintsov as head of marketing.
Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant. Frontier Developments announced Dan Lazarides as chief marketing officer. Lazarides arrives from Sega Europe, where he was senior vice‑president of marketing, and succeeds Jo Cooke, who moved to the CEO role in January. "His leadership in this genre will continue Frontier's upward momentum, and his appointment to the role of CMO highlights our focus on our communities," said CEO Jo Cooke.
Kalypso Media UK named Karen Ionescu digital sales manager. Ionescu’s background includes sales leadership at Numskull Games, plus stints at Nintendo and Rising Star Games.
Swipe Right promoted Hannah Barrett to senior account executive. Barrett joined the esports and gaming communications agency in December 2025 as an account executive before earning the senior title.
Supercell added Anni Pyy as contract manager; Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore. Fintech platform ZBD appointed Nathan Solbrandt as senior vice‑president of business development. Solbrandt’s earlier roles include senior account executive at Motorica and vice‑president of business development for the Americas at Xsolla.
Riot Games hired Olivia Lee as internal events producer, after serving as associate producer for internal events and programs. Xsolla welcomed Ciarah Pritchard as account coordinator; she formerly worked as account performance manager at Playback Rewards.
Bethesda reinstated Tracey Thompson as vice‑president of communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left for EA in 2019, and now returns to oversee communications for some of the studio’s flagship franchises. Nintendo of America named Maddie Richter social media marketing manager. Richter’s previous position was social media manager at Alaska Airlines.
Yotta Games added narrative designer Dana Duffield, who previously held a senior narrative designer role 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 (previous junior producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang as publishing coordinator (former producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, plus teaching experience at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone).
Roblox’s Foundation AI team welcomed Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger to support the mobile‑first AI creation tool Build in New Zealand. The duo co‑founded Jars AI in 2023 after raising $3.5 million from Google and other investors, and they plan to push the boundaries of AI‑driven entertainment in their new roles. Rockstar Games appointed Sathvik Sudireddy as marketing manager, live services. Sudireddy previously managed product for Call of Duty at Activision following an internship in business development at Rockstar.
Netflix Games named Joe Chard lead product manager. Chard’s background includes a vice‑president, studio general manager, and head of product role at Jam City, as well as senior positions at Disney and Warner Bros.