Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the games sector can be a real challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups of the most notable moves. If your studio has a new appointment or a staff transition you think belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, 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 took on 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 Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a breadth of experience across both legacy and modern development pipelines. "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 writing 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 earned praise for its inventive mechanics and hand‑drawn aesthetic. His return to the Pokémon umbrella marks a homecoming for a designer who helped shape the visual language of several recent main‑line entries. Billy King has been appointed Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment.
King previously led concept teams at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as senior concept artist for Amazon Games, where his work contributed to the visual direction of several high‑profile live‑service titles. Team17 has added Sam Duncombe as its Brand Marketing Manager.
Duncombe comes from Warner Bros. Discovery, where he managed product strategy for both games and film properties, bringing a cross‑media perspective to Team17’s growing portfolio. Loom Games welcomes Cansu Karahan Can as People and Culture Manager.
Can’s prior experience includes a similar role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she helped build inclusive workplace programs and talent development initiatives. At Fellow Traveler, Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager. Wulf joined the company in 2021 after serving as senior business and event manager for The Triple‑i Initiative, and he now focuses on expanding the studio’s partnership network across Europe and North America. Wizards of the Coast announced Julie Derhak as a Producer for Dungeons & Dragons.
Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite collaboration, before moving to the tabletop giant to oversee live‑ops and content pipelines for the flagship role‑playing franchise. Mojang Studios named Alvaro Menéndez its International Social Lead. Menéndez previously headed senior marketing for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw community growth for titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League.
Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to Senior Audio Designer. Johnsson began his career at Frontier as a graduate audio designer in 2022 and has since worked on soundscapes for titles ranging from survival simulators to narrative‑driven adventures. After a seven‑year tenure at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer has departed to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation, where he forged revenue‑sharing deals with major platform holders.
"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 has appointed Julia Gutnik as Head of Media. Gutnik previously led media, social, and analytics for Kia America, and before that she spent six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios overseeing digital and ad‑tech media strategies.
"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 remarked. Studio MDHR announced Lorna Antoniazzi as Art Producer.
Antoniazzi formerly produced at Roarty Digital, where she contributed to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, bringing valuable experience in large‑scale live‑service pipelines. Grand Games has hired Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager. Kutbay previously managed product roadmaps at Rollic, focusing on mobile titles that achieved high retention rates.
Games Workshop welcomes back 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 steward the ever‑expanding Warhammer IP. "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 adds Liana Murphy as Account Director for US Operations. Murphy most recently served as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing, overseeing multi‑channel campaigns for indie and mid‑tier publishers. Amazon Luna has named Tim Coombs Head of Brand Marketing. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026, after joining the console maker in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy.
Earlier, he led product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard (2017) and Amazon Game Tech (until 2020). Erik Mogensen has exited Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for digital gaming. Mogensen spent 23 years at Games Workshop, most recently as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing, working on flagship brands such as Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Transformers.
"It's not lost on me how special it's been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands," he reflected. Blizzard Entertainment welcomes 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 developing creative content for the League of Legends universe. Battlestate Games has appointed Andrey Odintsov as 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 industry. Frontier Developments announced Dan Lazarides as Chief Marketing Officer.
Lazarides came from Sega Europe, where he served as Senior Vice President of Marketing, and succeeds Jo Cooke, who moved into the CEO role 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 named Karen Ionescu Digital Sales Manager. Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games, offering strong relationships across both retail and digital channels. Swipe Right, an esports and gaming communications agency, promoted Hannah Barrett to Senior Account Executive after she joined as an Account Executive in December 2025.
Supercell has hired Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore. Fintech platform ZBD appointed Nathan Solbrandt as SVP of Business Development. Solbrandt formerly worked as 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, building on her prior role as Associate Producer for internal programs. Xsolla welcomed Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator; she previously managed account performance at Playback Rewards. Bethesda has brought back Tracey Thompson as VP 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 iconic franchises.
Nintendo of America named Maddie Richter Social Media Marketing Manager. Richter previously managed social channels for Alaska Airlines.
Yotta Games hired narrative designer Dana Duffield, who came from Series Entertainment where she served as Senior Narrative Designer. Yogscast Games announced 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 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, co‑founders of Jars AI, an interactive AI platform that raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors in 2023. They will help develop the mobile‑first AI creation tool Build in New Zealand. Rockstar Games appointed Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager for Live Services. Sudireddy previously managed product for Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar.
Netflix Games named Joe Chard Lead Product Manager. Chard’s background includes VP and Studio General Manager roles at Jam City, senior product positions at Disney, and leadership roles at Warner Bros. Entertainment.