Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the games sector can be a real challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves. If your studio has recent staffing 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 Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a broad perspective on both classic and modern game 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’s worked on every layer of game creation—from writing engine scripts to overseeing developer relations for the world’s largest platforms.
Appointing Ben as CEO of The Performance Guys sends a crystal‑clear signal: if your title suffers from performance bottlenecks on any engine, we have the premier team on the planet to resolve them." In other 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 storytelling.
His return marks a homecoming to the franchise he helped shape for years. 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. Sam Duncombe joins Team17 as Brand Marketing Manager after a tenure as Product Manager for games and film at Warner Bros.
Discovery, where he oversaw cross‑media product launches and brand strategy. Cansu Karahan Can steps into the People and Culture Manager position at Loom Games. Prior to this, she managed culture initiatives at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), focusing on employee wellbeing and inclusive workplace practices. Christopher Wulf has been elevated to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller.
Since joining the firm in 2021, Wulf has driven partnership growth, building on earlier experience as senior business and event manager for The Triple‑i Initiative. 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, honing her skills in large‑scale live‑service production.
Alvaro Menéndez takes on the role of International Social Lead at Mojang Studios. He previously served as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he led global community campaigns for flagship titles.
Linus Johnsson has been promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments. Joining Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer, he quickly progressed to senior status, contributing to the soundscapes of several high‑profile releases. After a seven‑year stint at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games.
At Epic, his most recent responsibilities included SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation. "The ambition and vision for what's next at Paramount are incredibly exciting," Nanzer said.
"My career has always sat at the intersection of games, entertainment, and fandom, and this opportunity was simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik is appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Before returning to Amazon, she led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, heading digital and ad‑tech media operations.
"After two years in the auto sector, I’m thrilled to go back to my entertainment roots and the company that shaped my career as a global marketing leader," she remarked. Lorna Antoniazzi becomes Art Producer at Studio MDHR, after previously producing at Roarty Digital where she contributed to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite.
Aysu Kutbay takes the Product Manager role at Grand Games, following a product‑management position 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 is appointed Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after serving concurrently 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. His prior 23‑year tenure at Games Workshop culminated as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing.
"Working on my favourite brands – Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers – has been a dream. I look forward to the next chapter, wherever it leads," 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 developing creative assets for the League of Legends IP. Andrey Odintsov is named Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. He previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for gaming studios.
Dan Lazarides takes the Chief Marketing Officer seat at Frontier Developments, after serving as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe. He replaces Jo Cooke, who became Frontier’s CEO in January. Cooke praised Lazarides, noting his experience with major IPs and his player‑first focus.
Karen Ionescu becomes Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK, bringing prior sales leadership from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson commented, "Her extensive commercial experience and strong retailer relationships make her a fantastic addition." 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 previously held the same role 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 joins Riot Games as Internal Events Producer, building on her prior experience as associate producer for internal events and programs. Ciarah Pritchard is hired as Account Coordinator at Xsolla, after serving as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards. Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications.
Thompson first joined Bethesda in 2009, left in 2019 for EA, and now says, "I’m excited to partner 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 (PR & Influencer Manager, formerly Creator & Community Director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney (Production Coordinator, previously Junior Producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang (Publishing Coordinator, formerly Producer/Animator/Artist at 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 and raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors. Holm noted, "At Jars AI we saw creators use AI to shape strange new worlds; we’re eager to push AI entertainment further in our new roles." Sathvik Sudireddy becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games, after product‑management work on Call of Duty at Activision and a business‑development internship at Rockstar.
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, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment industry, highlighting how experience across development, publishing, marketing, and community roles continues to shape the future of gaming.