Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather the most notable moves in one place. If your studio has announced a new appointment or a transition that you think belongs in this list, please email 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 leadership positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a breadth of experience across both classic and modern development pipelines. "Ben is a genuine heavyweight in the industry, and his technical credibility speaks for itself," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group.
"He understands game creation from the low‑level engine code to the high‑level developer‑relations work required for the world’s biggest platforms. Appointing Ben as CEO sends a clear signal: wherever a title suffers performance issues, we have the world’s strongest team to resolve them." In related news, James Turner has rejoined The Pokémon Company International 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 hand‑drawn aesthetic. Billy King has been promoted to Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment.
King previously led concept teams at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, bringing a strong portfolio of sci‑fi and fantasy visual development to his new role. Other notable moves include: - Sam Duncombe is now Brand Marketing Manager at Team 17, after a tenure as Product Manager for games and film at Warner Bros.
Discovery. - Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously filled the same position at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). - Christopher Wulf has been elevated to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller, where he first arrived in 2021 following a senior business‑and‑event role at The Triple‑i Initiative. - Julie Derhak becomes 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 crossover. - Alvaro Menéndez takes on the role of International Social Lead at Mojang Studios after serving as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid. - Linus Johnsson is promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments, having joined the studio in 2022 as a graduate audio designer. - Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after a seven‑year stint to become EVP, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games.
Nanzer most recently held the title of SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation at Epic. - Julia Gutnik is appointed 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 overseeing digital and ad‑tech media.
- Lorna Antoniazzi becomes Art Producer at Studio MDHR, after producing at Roarty Digital on projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. - Aysu Kutbay steps into a Product Manager role at Grand Games, following a similar position at Rollic. - David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. He originally joined Games Workshop in 2019, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now looks forward to expanding the Warhammer licensing portfolio.
- Liana Murphy is appointed Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after concurrently serving as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing. - Tim Coombs becomes Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. He previously directed brand management at Xbox (2020‑2026) 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 heading business development and consumer‑product licensing. - Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. His background includes senior producer work on Netflix mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, as well as five years at Riot Games on League of Legends creative development.
- Andrey Odintsov takes the helm of Marketing at Battlestate Games, after user‑acquisition work at Multicast Games and consulting for independent growth projects. - Dan Lazarides is named Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke. Lazarides previously served as SVP of Marketing at Sega Europe and will drive Frontier’s player‑first strategy.
- Karen Ionescu becomes Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK, bringing experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. - 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 appoints Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; she spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore. - Nathan Solbrandt steps in as SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior roles at Motorica and Xsolla.
- Olivia Lee becomes Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, following an associate producer role for internal programs. - Ciarah Pritchard is hired as Account Coordinator at Xsolla, after experience as an account performance manager at Playback Rewards. - Tracey Thompson returns 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 takes the Social Media Marketing Manager post at Nintendo of America, after a stint as Social Media Manager for Alaska Airlines. - Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, previously senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment.
- Yogscast Games announces three new hires: Charlotte Willis (PR & 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 a background in production, animation, and teaching 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 and raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors. - Sathvik Sudireddy becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games, after product‑manager work on Call of Duty at Activision. - Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games, following senior leadership roles at Jam City, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
These appointments illustrate the fluid nature of talent movement within the gaming ecosystem, highlighting how experience across multiple studios and platforms continues to shape the industry’s future.