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 capture the most noteworthy moves. If you know of a staffing change that belongs 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 tapped to lead The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group, as its chief executive officer. 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 classic studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a rare blend of technical depth and commercial savvy. "Ben is a true industry heavy‑hitter 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 earned praise for its inventive mechanics and whimsical art direction.
His return to the Pokémon franchise signals a renewed focus on visual storytelling and brand consistency. 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 he contributed to a range of high‑profile projects.
His expertise in character design and environmental art is expected to bolster Respawn’s upcoming titles. Sam Duncombe moves to Team17 as Brand Marketing Manager after a tenure as Product Manager – Games and Film at Warner Bros. Discovery.
In his new role, Duncombe will oversee brand strategy, partnership development, and cross‑media promotion for Team17’s expanding portfolio. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously held the same title at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion).
Can will be responsible for talent acquisition, employee experience, and organizational development as Loom Games scales its indie‑focused slate. Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller. Wulf, who joined the company in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, bringing a strong network of industry contacts to his expanded remit. Julie Derhak becomes a Producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast.
Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, where she contributed to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego Fortnite collaboration, honing her skills in large‑scale production pipelines. Alvaro Menéndez takes on the role of International Social Lead at Mojang Studios.
Menéndez previously served as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global social campaigns and community engagement initiatives. Linus Johnsson is promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments.
Johnsson first joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since worked on sound design for several of the studio’s flagship projects, earning recognition for his immersive audio storytelling. After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games.
Nanzer’s most recent position at Epic was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation. He remarked, "The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting. 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." Julia Gutnik is appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. 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 operations.
She said, "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." Lorna Antoniazzi becomes Art Producer at Studio MDHR, after serving as a producer at Roarty Digital, where she contributed to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. Aysu Kutbay is named Product Manager at Grand Games, following a product‑management role 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 business for licensing here. It's an incredible opportunity and it's great to be back in the fold working alongside great people." Liana Murphy takes the post of Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after simultaneously serving as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing. Tim Coombs becomes Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox (2020‑2026) and held product‑marketing 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.
Mogensen spent 23 years at Games Workshop, most recently as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing, and reflected, "It's not lost on me how special it's been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands. First Warhammer, and most recently Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers… the list goes on. I'm very much looking forward to my next chapter, whatever and wherever that may be." Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment 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. Andrey Odintsov is appointed Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. Odintsov formerly managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant.
Dan Lazarides steps into the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO of Frontier. Cooke praised him, saying his experience with major IPs will reinforce Frontier’s player‑first strategy. Karen Ionescu becomes Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK.
Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson commented, "We're delighted to welcome Karen to Kalypso Media UK.
She brings a wealth of commercial experience and long‑standing relationships across both retail and digital sales channels, making her a fantastic addition to the team." 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; Pyy previously held the same position at Metacore for four years. Nathan Solbrandt becomes SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior roles at Motorica and Xsolla (Vice President of Business Development for the Americas). Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, having previously served as associate producer for internal events and programs.
Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator, after working as an account performance manager at Playback Rewards. Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications.
Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, rose to associate VP of Communications, left in 2019 for EA, and now says, "I'm looking forward to partnering with the talented people across Bethesda and Xbox, supporting the teams behind some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment, and helping bring their creativity and vision to players around the world." Maddie Richter is named Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a stint as Social Media Manager for Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, following a senior narrative designer role at Series Entertainment. Yogscast Games announces 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, former producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and educator at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone).
Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger become part of Roblox’s Foundation AI team, supporting 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 remarked, "At Jars AI we saw hundreds of thousands of creators use AI to shape weird new worlds and stories, and we're excited to keep pushing the boundaries of AI entertainment in our new roles." Sathvik Sudireddy joins Rockstar Games as Marketing Manager, Live Services, 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. Chard previously served as Vice President, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product at Jam City for six years, and held senior gaming positions at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros.
Entertainment. These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the fluid nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment industry, underscoring how studios and publishers continually seek fresh perspectives and seasoned expertise to drive their next generation of games and experiences.