Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves. If your organization has recent staffing changes that belong in this list, please forward the name of the employee, their new title, the company they are joining, and their previous role and employer 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 stepped into after joining Epic in 2017 as a developer‑support manager.
Earlier in his career he held senior positions at classic studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a broad perspective on both legacy 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 overseeing developer relations for the world’s largest platforms and engines. Appointing Ben as CEO of The Performance Guys sends a clear signal to the market: if your title is suffering from performance bottlenecks on any engine, we have the best team on the planet to resolve them." 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 storytelling. Billy King has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment.
King previously led concept work at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, bringing a wealth of experience in crafting visual identities for large‑scale live‑service and AAA projects. Sam Duncombe moves to Team17 as Brand Marketing Manager after a tenure as Product Manager for games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery, where he oversaw cross‑media initiatives and brand‑centric campaigns.
Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously performed the same function at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she helped shape employee experience and organisational development. Christopher Wulf receives a promotion to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller.
Wulf, who entered the firm in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, giving him a solid foundation in partnership building and event strategy. Julie Derhak is now a 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 shifting her focus to tabletop gaming.
Alvaro Menéndez steps into the role of International Social Lead at Mojang Studios after serving as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he directed global community initiatives. Linus Johnsson has been promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments. Johnsson originally joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since progressed to a senior position, contributing to the studio’s acclaimed soundscapes. Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure 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 ambition and vision for what's next is incredibly exciting," Nanzer said. "I've spent my career at the intersection of games, entertainment, and fandom, and the chance to help shape Paramount's future was simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik takes the helm as Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Prior to this, she led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she oversaw digital and ad‑tech media operations.
"After two years in the auto sector, I'm returning to my entertainment roots and the place that shaped me into a global marketing leader," Gutnik remarked. Lorna Antoniazzi becomes Art Producer at Studio MDHR, after a producer role at Roarty Digital where she contributed to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. Aysu Kutbay is appointed Product Manager at Grand Games, having previously managed products at Rollic.
David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey originally 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 licensing business." Liana Murphy assumes the position of Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage after serving simultaneously as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing. Tim Coombs becomes Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and held product marketing leadership 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.
He spent 23 years at Games Workshop, most recently as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing. "It's not lost on me how special it's been to work on my favourite brands – Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers – and I'm looking forward to my next chapter," he said.
Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin previously produced two shipped mobile titles at 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 named Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. He formerly managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now consults independently on growth and go‑to‑market strategies for games. Dan Lazarides takes on the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after she became Frontier's CEO.
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 after sales roles at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games.
Managing Director Andrew Johnson said, "Her extensive commercial experience and long‑standing relationships across retail and digital channels make her a fantastic addition." Hannah Barrett is promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, having joined 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 SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD after senior account work at Motorica and a Vice‑President role at Xsolla for the Americas. Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, building on her experience as an 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 VP of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left in 2019 for EA, and now says, "I look forward to partnering with the talented teams across Bethesda and Xbox to support iconic franchises and bring their vision to players worldwide." Maddie Richter becomes Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a stint as Social Media Manager at Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, having previously been Senior Narrative Designer 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 (ex‑Junior Producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang as Publishing Coordinator (former Producer, Animator, and Artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and instructor at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger join 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 said.
Sathvik Sudireddy is hired by Rockstar Games as Marketing Manager, Live Services, after product‑management work on Call of Duty at Activision and a business‑development internship at Rockstar. Joe Chard becomes Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games, following senior leadership positions at Jam City, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Entertainment. These appointments illustrate the fluid nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment industry, highlighting how experience across studios, platforms, and even adjacent sectors such as automotive marketing enriches the creative and commercial capabilities of today’s game companies.