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 insiders and enthusiasts alike, we publish regular round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves. If you know of a change that deserves a mention—whether it’s a new appointment, a transition, or a return—please forward the relevant details (name, new role, new company, previous role and company) to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
One of the headline announcements this month is the appointment of former Epic Games executive Ben Board 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, and BossAlien.
"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 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 received praise for its inventive mechanics and charming aesthetic. Respawn Entertainment has announced Billy King as its new Lead Concept Artist. King previously led concept teams at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, contributing to a range of high‑profile projects.
Team17 welcomes Sam Duncombe as Brand Marketing Manager. Duncombe’s most recent role was Product Manager – Games and Film at Warner Bros. Discovery, where he oversaw cross‑media initiatives and brand‑centric campaigns.
Loom Games has added Cansu Karahan Can as People and Culture Manager. Can comes from a similar role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she helped shape employee experience and organisational development. At Fellow Traveler, Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager.
Since joining the company in 2021, Wulf has driven partnership strategies; before that he was Senior Business and Event Manager for The Triple‑i Initiative. Wizards of the Coast named Julie Derhak a Producer for Dungeons & Dragons. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑themed Fortnite expansion, before moving to tabletop gaming.
Mojang Studios appointed Alvaro Menéndez as International Social Lead. Menéndez previously held the Senior Marketing Manager position at Epic Games’ Madrid office, where he oversaw global community initiatives.
Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to Senior Audio Designer. Johnsson first joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since risen through the ranks, contributing to the soundscapes of several of the studio’s flagship titles. After a seven‑year tenure at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer is leaving to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games.
Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was Senior Vice President of 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 led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she directed digital and ad‑tech media strategy. "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 has hired Lorna Antoniazzi as Art Producer.
Antoniazzi’s background includes a producer role at Roarty Digital, where she worked on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. Grand Games welcomed Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager. Kutbay previously managed products at Rollic, focusing on mobile‑first titles. Games Workshop announced the return of 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. "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," Bailey remarked. Second Stage named Liana Murphy Account Director for US Operations. Murphy most recently held dual responsibilities as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing.
Amazon Luna appointed Tim Coombs as Head of Brand Marketing. Coombs previously 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 in 2017 and later senior product marketing lead for Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen departed Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for Digital Gaming. Prior to that, 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 have worked on, and for, my favourite brands," Mogensen said, citing Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Transformers as highlights. Blizzard Entertainment added Ryan Rubin 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. Battlestate Games named Andrey Odintsov Head of Marketing.
Odintsov’s background includes a user‑acquisition manager role at Multicast Games and ongoing work as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant. Frontier Developments promoted Dan Lazarides to Chief Marketing Officer.
Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke, who moved to the CEO role at Frontier 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," Cooke said. Kalypso Media UK hired Karen Ionescu as Digital Sales Manager. Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games.
Managing Director Andrew Johnson praised her extensive retail and digital sales expertise. Swipe Right, an esports and gaming communications agency, promoted Hannah Barrett to Senior Account Executive. Barrett joined the firm in December 2025 as an Account Executive before earning the promotion. Supercell appointed Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously held the same position at Metacore for four years.
Fintech platform ZBD named Nathan Solbrandt SVP of Business Development. Solbrandt’s prior roles include Senior Account Executive at Motorica and Vice President of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla. Riot Games added Olivia Lee as Internal Events Producer, after serving as Associate Producer for internal events and programs.
Xsolla hired Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator; she formerly worked as an Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards. Bethesda welcomed back Tracey Thompson as Vice President of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left for EA in 2019, and now returns to support iconic franchises across Bethesda and Xbox.
Nintendo of America appointed Maddie Richter as Social Media Marketing Manager. Richter previously managed social media for Alaska Airlines. Yotta Games brought on Dana Duffield as Narrative Designer.
Duffield’s earlier experience includes a senior narrative designer role at Series Entertainment. Yogscast Games announced 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 a background as producer, animator, and educator at Team Gramps, Queensguard, Submarine Art School, and The Code Zone).
Roblox’s Foundation AI team expanded with Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger, who will help develop the platform’s 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.
Rockstar Games hired Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager for Live Services. Sudireddy previously managed product responsibilities for Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development.
Netflix Games appointed Joe Chard as Lead Product Manager. Chard’s résumé includes a VP and Studio General Manager role at Jam City, senior product positions at Disney and Warner Bros., and a six‑year tenure leading product initiatives.
These movements illustrate the dynamic nature of the games industry, where talent frequently shifts between studios, platforms, and even adjacent entertainment sectors, continually reshaping the creative and commercial landscape.