Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions and departures in the games sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves. If you know of any recent appointments or role changes that belong in this list, please forward the name, new position, new company, as well as the previous role and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been installed as chief executive officer of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group. 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 leadership posts at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios and BossAlien, giving him a broad perspective on both legacy and modern game development pipelines. "Ben is a genuine heavyweight in the industry, and his reputation and technical credibility speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group.
"He understands game creation from the low‑level engine code to the high‑level developer‑relations work that powers the world’s biggest platforms. Appointing Ben as CEO of The Performance Guys sends a crystal‑clear signal to publishers and studios: if your title suffers from performance bottlenecks on any engine, you now have the most capable team on the planet ready 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 style. Billy King has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment.
King previously headed concept art at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, contributing to a range of high‑profile projects across multiple genres. Sam Duncombe moves to Team17 as Brand Marketing Manager after a spell as Product Manager – Games and Film at Warner Bros. Discovery, where he oversaw cross‑media initiatives that linked gaming IPs with cinematic releases.
Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, bringing experience from a similar role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion) where she helped shape employee engagement strategies for a rapidly scaling studio. Christopher Wulf receives a promotion to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller.
Wulf, who entered the company in 2021, previously served as Senior Business and Event Manager for The Triple‑i Initiative, where he coordinated large‑scale gaming conferences and partnership programs. 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 crossover, giving her a strong background in large‑scale live‑service production.
Alvaro Menéndez becomes International Social Lead at Mojang Studios after a tenure as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he directed global community campaigns for titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League. Linus Johnsson is promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments. Johnsson joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since worked on soundscapes for titles like Elite Dangerous and Planet Coaster. After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to assume the position of Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games.
Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation, where he forged strategic alliances with console manufacturers and streaming platforms. "The scale of ambition and vision for what's next at Paramount is incredibly exciting," Nanzer remarked. "I've spent my career at the crossroads of games, entertainment and fandom, and the chance to help shape the next chapter there was simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik takes the helm as Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Previously she led Media, Social & Analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she oversaw digital and ad‑tech media operations.
"After two years in the automotive sector, I’m returning to my entertainment roots and to the place that shaped me into a global marketing leader," Gutnik said. Lorna Antoniazzi is appointed Art Producer at Studio MDHR, having previously produced at Roarty Digital on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. Aysu Kutbay becomes Product Manager at Grand Games after a product‑management role at Rollic, where she helped launch several successful mobile titles.
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 to become Director of Business Affairs at Sumo Digital, and now says, "It’s a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new licensing opportunities." Liana Murphy steps in as Account Director for US Operations at Second Stage, after serving as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing. Tim Coombs is named Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026, after joining the division in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy.
He also led product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and later for Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen exits Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for digital gaming.
His prior 23‑year stint at Games Workshop culminated as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing. "It’s not lost on me how special it’s been to work on my favourite brands – Warhammer, D&D, Magic, Transformers – and I look forward to the next chapter, wherever it leads." Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer, bringing experience from Netflix where he produced mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, and a five‑year spell at Riot Games working on League of Legends creative development. Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games after serving as User Acquisition Manager at Multicast Games and operating as an independent growth consultant for various studios. Dan Lazarides is appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments.
Lazarides previously held the SVP of Marketing role at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO of Frontier. Cooke praised his arrival, noting his extensive experience with major IPs and his focus on a player‑first strategy.
Karen Ionescu takes the role of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK, after sales positions at 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 channels." Hannah Barrett is promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, having joined as an Account Executive in December 2025. Supercell names 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 account work at Motorica and a VP role at Xsolla for the Americas. Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, building on her prior experience as Associate Producer for internal events and programs. Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator, after serving as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards. Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications.
Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, 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." Maddie Richter becomes 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 design role at Series Entertainment.
Yogscast Games announces three new hires: Charlotte Willis as PR and Influencer Manager (formerly Creator and Community Director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney as Production Coordinator (previously Junior Producer at Atelier 11) and Charlotte Pang as Publishing Coordinator (former producer, animator and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and instructor at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger join 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 says, "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 is hired by 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 becomes Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games, following a six‑year tenure as Vice President, Studio General Manager and Head of Product at Jam City, as well as senior roles at Disney and Warner Bros.