Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. To help industry professionals stay informed, we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves. If your organization has recent appointments or transitions that you think belong in this list, please forward the name of the appointee, the new role, the company, as well as the previous position and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. In a significant leadership change, former Epic Games executive Ben Board has taken on the role of Chief Executive Officer at The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group.
Board’s career spans over a decade of high‑impact positions. He joined Epic in 2017 as a developer‑support manager, later becoming the business‑development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine.
Earlier stints include senior leadership at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, where he helped shape some of the most technically ambitious titles of the early 2000s. "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." James Turner has rejoined 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 to critical praise.
His return signals a renewed focus on artistic direction across the Pokémon franchise, blending his indie experience with the massive scale of the brand. Respawn Entertainment announced the appointment of Billy King as Lead Concept Artist. King arrives from ZeniMax Online Studios, where he headed concept work, and previously served as a senior concept artist at Amazon Games. His portfolio includes work on large‑scale live‑service titles, and his expertise in character and environment design is expected to bolster Respawn’s upcoming projects.
Team17 has named Sam Duncombe its new Brand Marketing Manager. Duncombe moves from Warner Bros. Discovery, where he oversaw product management for games and film, bringing a blend of entertainment‑industry insight and brand‑building experience to the historic UK publisher.
Loom Games welcomes Cansu Karahan Can as People and Culture Manager. Can previously held the same title at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she helped shape HR strategy for a fast‑growing indie studio. At Loom, she will focus on talent acquisition, employee development, and fostering an inclusive workplace culture. Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveler.
Wulf, who joined the company in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, and his promotion reflects the firm’s expanding ambitions in the experiential gaming space. Julie Derhak steps into the role of Producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast.
Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego Fortnite collaboration, giving her a strong background in large‑scale live‑service production that will be valuable for the tabletop‑gaming giant’s digital initiatives. Alvaro Menéndez is now International Social Lead at Mojang Studios. Menéndez moves from Epic Games Madrid, where he served as Senior Marketing Manager, and will oversee global community engagement and social‑media strategy for Minecraft and related properties. Frontier Developments promotes 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 soundscapes of several high‑profile titles, earning this senior promotion. After a seven‑year tenure at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs 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." Julia Gutnik has taken the helm as 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 managed digital and ad‑tech media operations. "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 appoints Lorna Antoniazzi as Art Producer. Antoniazzi comes from Roarty Digital, where she produced work on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, bringing valuable experience in coordinating art pipelines for large‑scale live games.
Grand Games adds Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager. Kutbay transitions from Rollic, where she oversaw product strategy for mobile titles, and will now guide Grand Games’ portfolio development.
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 comes back to help steer licensing for the Warhammer universe. "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 names Liana Murphy as Account Director for US Operations.
Murphy previously held dual roles as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a robust background in agency‑side client management. Amazon Luna announces Tim Coombs as Head of Brand Marketing. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and has a history at Amazon Lumberyard (2017) and Amazon Game Tech, where he led product marketing teams.
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. "It's not lost on me how special it's been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands," he reflected. Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer.
Rubin’s prior experience includes senior producer roles at Netflix (where he helped ship Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset mobile games) and a five‑year stint at Riot Games developing creative content for the League of Legends IP. Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for game studios.
Dan Lazarides is appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides formerly served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and replaces Jo Cooke, who moved to Frontier’s CEO role in January.
"His leadership in this genre will continue Frontier's upward momentum," said CEO Jo Cooke. Karen Ionescu takes the position of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK.
Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games, and will oversee both retail and digital sales channels for the publisher. 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 names Anni Pyy as Contract Manager. Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, handling legal and vendor relationships for mobile titles.
Nathan Solbrandt becomes SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD. Solbrandt’s background includes senior account work at Motorica and a vice‑presidential role in business development for the Americas at Xsolla. Olivia Lee joins Riot Games as Internal Events Producer, after serving as associate producer for internal events and programs.
Ciarah Pritchard is appointed Account Coordinator at Xsolla, moving from a performance‑manager role at Playback Rewards. Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, later moved to Electronic Arts in 2019, and now resumes leadership of communications for the studio’s flagship franchises. Maddie Richter becomes Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, transitioning from a social media manager role at Alaska Airlines.
Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, after senior narrative work 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, with a background as producer, animator, and educator at Team Gramps, Queensguard, and Submarine Art School). Roblox’s Foundation AI team welcomes 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, securing $3.5 million in funding from Google and other investors, and will now apply their expertise to Roblox’s AI initiatives. Sathvik Sudireddy joins Rockstar Games as Marketing Manager for Live Services, after product management on Call of Duty at Activision and a business‑development internship at the developer.
Joe Chard is named Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard previously held senior roles at Jam City, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Entertainment, bringing extensive product and studio leadership experience to Netflix’s gaming division. This extensive list underscores the dynamic nature of talent movement within the gaming industry, highlighting how seasoned professionals continue to shape the future of interactive entertainment across studios, publishers, and service platforms.