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 gather all the notable moves in one place.
If you know of a recent appointment or a staff change that belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company and the person’s previous role and employer 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 first joined Epic in 2017 as a developer‑support manager, later becoming business‑development director for both the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine.
His résumé also includes senior leadership positions at classic studios such as 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 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 rejoined The Pokémon Company International as Creative Director of Pokémon Art and Design. Turner 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 critical praise for its inventive storytelling.
His return to the Pokémon franchise signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand consistency. Respawn Entertainment announced the promotion of Billy King to Lead Concept Artist. King previously headed concept work at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist at Amazon Games, where he helped shape visual identities for several high‑profile live‑service titles.
At Respawn, he will oversee the visual development of upcoming projects, ensuring that the studio’s signature style remains fresh and distinctive. Team17 has added Sam Duncombe as Brand Marketing Manager.
Duncombe comes from Warner Bros. Discovery, where he was Product Manager for games and film, bringing a deep understanding of cross‑media branding and audience engagement.
Loom Games welcomed Cansu Karahan Can as People and Culture Manager. Can previously performed the same role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she built inclusive workplace programs and championed employee development. Fellow Traveler promoted Christopher Wulf to Senior Business Development Manager. Wulf joined the firm in 2021 after a stint as Senior Business and Event Manager for The Triple‑i Initiative, where he coordinated large‑scale industry conferences and partnership deals.
Wizards of the Coast named Julie Derhak a Producer for Dungeons & Dragons. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite crossover, giving her a strong background in live‑service pipelines and cross‑brand collaborations. Mojang Studios appointed Alvaro Menéndez as International Social Lead. Menéndez previously worked as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global community initiatives for titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League.
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 sound design of several high‑profile releases, including the recent survival‑craft title. After a seven‑year tenure at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer left to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games.
Nanzer most recently held the SVP role for Partnerships and Monetisation at Epic. "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 announced Julia Gutnik as 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 managed 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 explained. Studio MDHR hired Lorna Antoniazzi as Art Producer. Antoniazzi previously produced at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite visual pipelines. Grand Games named Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager.
Kutbay comes from Rollic, where she managed product lifecycles for several mobile hits. Games Workshop welcomed 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 help expand the Warhammer licensing portfolio.
"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 added Liana Murphy as Account Director for US Operations.
Murphy previously held the dual roles of COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong background in agency‑client relations. Amazon Luna announced Tim Coombs as Head of Brand Marketing. Coombs was Director of Brand Management at Xbox until July 2026 and previously served as Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard and senior product marketing lead for Amazon Game Tech.
Erik Mogensen departed 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 iconic brands such as Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering and Transformers.
Blizzard Entertainment hired 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 franchise.
Battlestate Games named 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.
Frontier Developments appointed Dan Lazarides as Chief Marketing Officer. Lazarides formerly served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after she became Frontier's 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 previously managed sales at Numskull Games and held roles at Nintendo and Rising Star Games, bringing extensive retail and digital channel expertise. Swipe Right promoted Hannah Barrett to Senior Account Executive.
Barrett joined the esports and gaming communications agency in December 2025 as an Account Executive. Supercell appointed Anni Pyy as Contract Manager.
Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore. Fintech platform ZBD named Nathan Solbrandt SVP of Business Development. Solbrandt previously 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. Lee previously coordinated internal programs and events for the studio. Xsolla hired Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator. Pritchard came from Playback Rewards, where she was Account Performance Manager.
Bethesda welcomed back Tracey Thompson as Vice President of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left in 2019 for EA, and now returns to support the studio’s flagship franchises.
Nintendo of America appointed Maddie Richter as Social Media Marketing Manager. Richter previously managed social channels for Alaska Airlines. Yotta Games signed Dana Duffield as Narrative Designer.
Duffield was Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment. Yogscast Games announced 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 former instructor at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone).
Roblox's Foundation AI team expanded with Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger, co‑founders of Jars AI, which raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors in 2023. They will help develop the platform’s mobile‑first AI creation tool, Build, in New Zealand. Rockstar Games hired Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager, Live Services.
Sudireddy previously managed product for Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar. Netflix Games appointed Joe Chard as Lead Product Manager.
Chard previously served as Vice President, Studio General Manager and Head of Product at Jam City, and held senior roles at Disney and Warner Bros. Entertainment.