Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. To make it easier for industry insiders and enthusiasts alike, we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves. If you know of a change that belongs in this list—whether it’s a new appointment, a promotion, or a departure—please email the details (name, new role, new company, previous role and former employer) to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
One of the headline announcements this month is the elevation of former Epic Games executive Ben Board to 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 taking on the role of business development director for both the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine.
His résumé also includes senior leadership positions at legendary studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien. "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 another significant move, 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, a venture that launched the critically acclaimed title The Plucky Squire in September 2024. His return signals a renewed focus on artistic direction for the global Pokémon brand. Respawn Entertainment announced the appointment of Billy King as its Lead Concept Artist. King arrives from ZeniMax Online Studios, where he led concept art, and previously held a senior concept‑artist role at Amazon Games.
His extensive experience in crafting visual identities for large‑scale projects is expected to bolster Respawn’s creative pipeline. Team17 welcomed Sam Duncombe as Brand Marketing Manager. Duncombe’s background includes a stint as Product Manager for games and film at Warner Bros.
Discovery, giving him a solid foundation in cross‑media brand strategy. Loom Games added Cansu Karahan Can as People and Culture Manager. Can previously performed the same function at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she helped shape organisational culture and employee experience.
At Fellow Traveler, Christopher Wulf was promoted to Senior Business Development Manager. Since joining the company in 2021, Wulf has driven partnership initiatives; before that he served as Senior Business and Event Manager for The Triple‑i Initiative. 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 collaboration, experience that will be valuable for the tabletop‑gaming giant.
Mojang Studios announced Alvaro Menéndez as International Social Lead. Menéndez previously worked as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global community campaigns.
Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to Senior Audio Designer. Johnsson joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since progressed to senior status, contributing to the studio’s acclaimed soundscapes. 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 SVP 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 appointed 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 in digital and ad‑tech media leadership.
"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 welcomed Lorna Antoniazzi as Art Producer. Antoniazzi’s prior role at Roarty Digital involved work on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, giving her a strong background in large‑scale art production. Grand Games announced Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager.
Kutbay previously managed product initiatives at Rollic, where she helped launch several successful mobile titles. Games Workshop saw the return of David Bailey 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 returns to oversee licensing for the expansive Warhammer franchise. "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," Bailey remarked.
Second Stage appointed Liana Murphy as Account Director for US Operations. Murphy previously held dual responsibilities as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a broad perspective on agency‑client dynamics. Amazon Luna named Tim Coombs Head of Brand Marketing.
Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and earlier served as Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017, followed by senior product marketing leadership for Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen exited Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for digital gaming. His 23‑year tenure at Games Workshop culminated in the role of 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 said, referencing Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Transformers. Blizzard Entertainment added Ryan Rubin as Senior Producer.
Rubin’s prior experience includes senior production roles at Netflix (where he helped ship Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset mobile games) and five years at Riot Games working on the League of Legends IP. Battlestate Games 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 games.
Frontier Developments announced Dan Lazarides as Chief Marketing Officer. Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke, who moved to the CEO role at Frontier 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," 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.
Managing Director Andrew Johnson praised her extensive retail and digital sales expertise. Swipe Right, an esports and gaming communications agency, promoted Hannah Barrett to Senior Account Executive. Barrett joined the firm in December 2025 as an Account Executive and quickly earned the promotion. Supercell named Anni Pyy as Contract Manager.
Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, overseeing contractual negotiations for mobile titles. Fintech platform ZBD appointed Nathan Solbrandt as SVP of Business Development. Solbrandt’s background includes senior account work at Motorica and a vice‑presidential role in business development for Xsolla covering the Americas.
Riot Games added Olivia Lee as Internal Events Producer. Lee’s earlier role as Associate Producer for internal events and programs equipped her to manage large‑scale employee gatherings. Xsolla hired Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator. Pritchard formerly worked as an Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards.
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 communications for the studio’s flagship franchises. Nintendo of America appointed Maddie Richter as Social Media Marketing Manager.
Richter previously managed social channels for Alaska Airlines, bringing a fresh perspective to Nintendo’s community outreach. Yotta Games added Dana Duffield as Narrative Designer. Duffield’s prior senior narrative design work at Series Entertainment will help shape the storytelling for Yotta’s upcoming titles.
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 (previous junior producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang as Publishing Coordinator (former producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, also an instructor at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). 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 and raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors.
"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," Holm said. Rockstar Games appointed Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager, Live Services. Sudireddy previously managed product responsibilities on Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development.
Netflix Games named Joe Chard as Lead Product Manager. Chard’s extensive background includes a VP and studio GM role at Jam City, senior product positions at Disney and Warner Bros., and a track record of launching successful mobile and console experiences. These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of the games industry, where talent moves swiftly between studios, publishers, and tech firms, constantly reshaping the creative and business landscape.