Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions and departures in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most notable personnel changes across studios, publishers and related businesses. If your organization has recent appointments or role changes that belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company and previous position 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 joined Epic in 2017 as a developer support manager, later becoming business development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine. His résumé also includes senior leadership stints at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios and BossAlien.
"Ben is a true industry heavy‑hitter whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said CodeDev Group founder Myke Parrot. "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 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 whimsical art style.
His return to Pokémon marks a homecoming for a designer who helped shape the visual language of the franchise for years. Respawn Entertainment announced that Billy King will serve as its new lead concept artist.
King arrives from ZeniMax Online Studios, where he led concept work, and previously held a senior concept artist role at Amazon Games. His portfolio spans high‑fantasy environments, sci‑fi hardware designs and character concepts for both AAA and live‑service titles.
Team17 has named Sam Duncombe brand marketing manager. Duncombe comes from Warner Bros.
Discovery, where he managed product strategy for games and film properties, bringing a cross‑media perspective to the historic UK publisher. Loom Games welcomed Cansu Karahan Can as people and culture manager.
Can previously oversaw talent and organisational development at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), focusing on inclusive workplace practices and employee growth. Fellow Traveller promoted Christopher Wulf to senior business development manager. Wulf, who joined the company in 2021, previously served as senior business and event manager for The Triple‑i Initiative, where he coordinated large‑scale industry gatherings and partnership programmes. Wizards of the Coast added Julie Derhak to its Dungeons & Dragons team as a producer.
Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego Fortnite collaboration, giving her a strong background in live‑service pipelines and cross‑brand projects. Mojang Studios appointed Alvaro Menéndez as international social lead. Menéndez previously worked as senior marketing manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw community initiatives across multiple regions. Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to senior audio designer.
Johnsson began his career at Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since contributed to the soundscapes of several high‑profile titles, demonstrating a deep understanding of interactive audio implementation. After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departed 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 named Julia Gutnik 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 headed digital and ad‑tech media functions.
"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 announced Lorna Antoniazzi as art producer. Antoniazzi previously produced at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, and brings extensive experience in coordinating art pipelines for large‑scale projects. Grand Games hired Aysu Kutbay as product manager.
Kutbay moves from Rollic, where she managed product lifecycles for mobile titles, adding valuable expertise in live‑ops and user‑acquisition strategies. Games Workshop welcomed back David Bailey 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 returns to help steer the expansive Warhammer licensing ecosystem. "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," he said. Second Stage appointed Liana Murphy account director for US operations.
Murphy previously served as COO and head of public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong background in agency‑client relations and operational leadership. Amazon Luna named Tim Coombs head of brand marketing. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and earlier held product marketing roles for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech, equipping him with deep insight into both console and cloud‑gaming branding.
Erik Mogensen exited 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, culminating 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 reflected. 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 franchise. Battlestate Games appointed Andrey Odintsov head of marketing.
Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for the gaming sector. Frontier Developments announced Dan Lazarides as chief marketing officer.
Lazarides comes from Sega Europe, where he was senior vice‑president of marketing, and replaces Jo Cooke following her promotion to CEO. "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," said CEO Jo Cooke.
Kalypso Media UK hired Karen Ionescu as digital sales manager. Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo and Rising Star Games, offering a blend of retail and digital distribution expertise. Managing director Andrew Johnson praised her commercial acumen.
Swipe Right promoted Hannah Barrett to senior account executive. Barrett joined the esports and gaming communications agency in December 2025 and has quickly progressed from account executive to a senior role.
Supercell named Anni Pyy contract manager. Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, handling legal and partnership agreements for mobile titles. Fintech platform ZBD appointed Nathan Solbrandt as senior vice‑president of business development. Solbrandt previously worked as senior account executive at Motorica and as vice‑president of business development for the Americas at Xsolla.
Riot Games added Olivia Lee as internal events producer. Lee previously coordinated internal programs and events, ensuring employee engagement and cultural initiatives. Xsolla hired Ciarah Pritchard as account coordinator. Pritchard previously managed account performance at Playback Rewards, focusing on client retention and revenue optimisation.
Bethesda welcomed back Tracey Thompson as vice‑president of communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, rose to associate VP of communications, left for EA in 2019, and now returns to oversee messaging for some of the industry’s most iconic franchises. Nintendo of America named Maddie Richter social media marketing manager. Richter previously managed social channels for Alaska Airlines, bringing a fresh consumer‑focused perspective to Nintendo’s community outreach.
Yotta Games added Dana Duffield as narrative designer. Duffield formerly served as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment, crafting storylines and character arcs for narrative‑driven games. Yogscast Games announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis as PR and influencer manager (formerly creator and community director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney as production coordinator (formerly junior producer at Atelier 11) and Charlotte Pang as publishing coordinator (with past roles as producer, animator and educator at Team Gramps, Queensguard and Submarine Art School).
Roblox’s Foundation AI team welcomed Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger 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 to develop interactive AI platforms for creators. Rockstar Games appointed Sathvik Sudireddy as marketing manager, live services. Sudireddy previously managed product for Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at the studio.
Netflix Games named Joe Chard lead product manager. Chard brings a wealth of experience from a six‑year tenure as vice‑president, studio general manager and head of product at Jam City, as well as senior roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros.
Entertainment. These movements illustrate the dynamic nature of talent across the gaming ecosystem, where seasoned veterans and emerging leaders continuously reshape the creative and commercial landscape.