Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the video‑game sector can be a daunting task. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather the most noteworthy personnel moves in one place.
If your organization has recent appointments or transitions you think belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company, as well as the previous role and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. One of the headline changes 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 career spans more than a decade of senior positions in the industry.
He joined Epic in 2017 as a developer support manager, later becoming business development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine. Prior to his Epic tenure he held leadership roles at classic studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a rare blend of technical depth and commercial acumen. "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 another notable move, 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 released its debut title, The Plucky Squire, in September 2024. His return to the Pokémon franchise signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand consistency across the expanding universe of games, merchandise, and media.
Billy King, who previously led concept art teams at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as senior concept artist for Amazon Games, has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King’s portfolio includes work on high‑profile shooters and live‑service titles, and his new role will see him shaping the visual language for upcoming Respawn projects. Other appointments include: - Sam Duncombe, now Brand Marketing Manager at Team17, after a stint as Product Manager – Games and Film at Warner Bros.
Discovery. - Cansu Karahan Can, People and Culture Manager at Loom Games, previously in the same capacity at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). - Christopher Wulf, promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller, where he has been since 2021 following senior roles at The Triple‑i Initiative.
- Julie Derhak, appointed Producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast, after seven years at Epic Games where she contributed to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego Fortnite collaboration. - Alvaro Menéndez, International Social Lead at Mojang Studios, formerly Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid.
- Linus Johnsson, promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments, having risen from graduate audio designer since joining in 2022. - Nate Nanzer, departing Epic after seven years to become EVP, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic role 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, named Head of Media at Amazon Gaming, after leading media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spending over six years in digital and ad‑tech roles at Prime Video and Amazon Studios.
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, Art Producer at Studio MDHR, previously a producer at Roarty Digital where she worked on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. - Aysu Kutbay, Product Manager at Grand Games, after managing products at Rollic. - David Bailey, returning to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey first joined Games Workshop in 2019, 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." - Liana Murphy, appointed Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after serving as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing.
- Tim Coombs, Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna, formerly Director of Brand Management at Xbox (2020‑2026) and previously Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard and senior roles in Amazon Game Tech. - Erik Mogensen, exiting 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 heading business development and consumer product licensing.
He reflected, "It's not lost on me how special it's been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands – Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers… I look forward to my next chapter, wherever that may be." - Ryan Rubin, Senior Producer at Blizzard Entertainment, after senior producer roles at Netflix (mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset) and five years at Riot Games on League of Legends creative development. - Andrey Odintsov, Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games, previously User Acquisition Manager at Multicast Games and now an independent growth consultant. - Dan Lazarides, Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, after serving as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe. He replaces Jo Cooke, who moved to Frontier’s CEO role in January.
Cooke praised Lazarides, noting his experience with large IPs and his focus on a player‑first strategy. - Karen Ionescu, Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK, bringing prior experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson said, "She brings a wealth of commercial experience and long‑standing relationships across both retail and digital sales channels." - Hannah Barrett, promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining as an Account Executive in December 2025. - Anni Pyy, Contract Manager at Supercell, previously holding the same title at Metacore for four years.
- Nathan Solbrandt, SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior account work at Motorica and a VP role at Xsolla for the Americas. - Olivia Lee, Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, formerly Associate Producer for internal events and programs.
- Ciarah Pritchard, Account Coordinator at Xsolla, previously Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards. - Tracey Thompson, returned to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left for EA in 2019, 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, Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a stint as Social Media Manager for Alaska Airlines.
- Dana Duffield, Narrative Designer at Yotta Games, formerly Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment. - Yogscast Games announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis (PR and Influencer Manager, previously Creator and Community Director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney (Production Coordinator, formerly Junior Producer at Atelier 11) and Charlotte Pang (Publishing Coordinator, with past roles as producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, plus teaching experience at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). - Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger joined 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 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, Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games, after product management on Call of Duty at Activision and an internship in business development at Rockstar. - Joe Chard, Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games, previously Vice President, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product at Jam City, with senior roles at Disney and Warner Bros.
These movements illustrate the fluid nature of talent within the interactive entertainment industry, where expertise in development, art, marketing, and business development is constantly reshuffled to meet evolving market demands and creative ambitions. The influx of seasoned leaders into new positions often heralds strategic shifts for their companies, whether that means bolstering performance optimisation capabilities, expanding creative direction, or strengthening community and brand engagement. As the industry continues to grow, keeping an eye on these personnel changes provides valuable insight into where major studios and publishers are directing their focus for the coming years.