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 moves. If you know of any personnel changes that belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company, and previous role 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’s résumé 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 iconic studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a breadth of experience across both classic and modern 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." 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 platforming mechanics. His return to Pokémon signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand consistency across the franchise’s expanding media portfolio.
Billy King has been appointed Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King arrives from ZeniMax Online Studios, where he led concept work, and previously served as senior concept artist at Amazon Games. His portfolio includes sci‑fi environments and character designs that have helped shape several high‑profile live‑service titles. Team 17 welcomes Sam Duncombe as Brand Marketing Manager.
Duncombe previously oversaw product strategy for games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery, bringing a cross‑media perspective that should aid Team 17’s push into new IP territories. Cansu Karahan Can has taken the role of People and Culture Manager at Loom Games, after serving in the same capacity at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). Her focus on inclusive workplace practices is expected to support Loom’s growing development teams.
Christopher Wulf earned a promotion to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller. Since joining the firm in 2021, Wulf has leveraged his prior experience at The Triple‑i Initiative, where he managed business and event operations, to drive new partnership opportunities for Fellow Traveller’s indie‑focused publishing slate.
Julie Derhak is now a Producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast. She spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite collaboration, and brings that production expertise to the tabletop‑gaming giant. Alvaro Menéndez has been named International Social Lead at Mojang Studios.
Menéndez previously headed senior marketing for Epic Games in Madrid, and will now oversee global community engagement for titles such as Minecraft. Linus Johnsson advanced to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments.
Having joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer, Johnsson’s promotion reflects his growing influence on the studio’s sound‑design pipelines. After a seven‑year tenure at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation. "The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting," he said, adding that his career has always sat at the intersection of games, entertainment, and fandom.
Julia Gutnik steps into the role of 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, where she managed digital and ad‑tech media initiatives. "Returning to my entertainment roots feels like coming home," Gutnik remarked. Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer, after producing at Roarty Digital on projects like Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite.
Her experience with large‑scale live‑service art pipelines should complement MDHR’s distinctive aesthetic. Aysu Kutbay is now Product Manager at Grand Games, having previously managed product initiatives at Rollic. Her background in mobile‑first titles will help Grand Games expand its portfolio.
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 for a director role at 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 takes the post of Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage. Murphy’s most recent roles were COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong operational and communications foundation.
Tim Coombs becomes Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. He previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and held product‑marketing positions for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech, experience that will shape Luna’s market positioning. Erik Mogensen exits Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for Digital Gaming. With a 23‑year stint at Games Workshop behind him, Mogensen reflected, "It's not lost on me how special it's been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands.
First Warhammer, and most recently Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers… the list goes on." Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin’s prior senior producer work at Netflix included mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, and he also spent five years at Riot Games on creative development for the League of Legends IP. Andrey Odintsov is appointed Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. He previously ran user‑acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for games.
Dan Lazarides assumes the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Formerly Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe, Lazarides replaces Jo Cooke, who moved to the CEO seat at Frontier.
Cooke praised his appointment, noting that his leadership will reinforce Frontier’s player‑first strategy. Karen Ionescu becomes Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK.
Her past experience includes sales management at Numskull Games, as well as roles at Nintendo and Rising Star Games, giving her a broad perspective on both retail and digital distribution. Hannah Barrett is promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining as an account executive in December 2025.
Supercell names Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously held the same title at Metacore for four years. Nathan Solbrandt steps into the SVP of Business Development role at fintech platform ZBD, after senior account work at Motorica and a vice‑presidential stint at Xsolla for the Americas. Olivia Lee is appointed Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, building on her prior experience as associate producer for internal events and programs.
Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator, 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, left for EA in 2019, and now says, "I'm looking forward to partnering with the talented people across Bethesda and Xbox, supporting the teams behind some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment." Maddie Richter becomes Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, transitioning 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 (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 artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, plus teaching roles at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger have been 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. Holm noted, "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." Sathvik Sudireddy joins Rockstar Games as Marketing Manager for Live Services, after a product‑manager role on Call of Duty at Activision and an internship in business development at Rockstar. Joe Chard is named Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games.
Chard previously held senior leadership positions at Jam City, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, bringing a wealth of experience in product strategy and studio management. These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of the gaming industry, where talent moves fluidly between development, publishing, and ancillary services, continually reshaping the creative and commercial landscape.