Games Industry Job Updates for March 2024: Notable Hires and Appointments

Tracking the latest developments in the games industry can be challenging, which is why we provide regular updates on new appointments and transitions. To share news about your company's hires or role changes, please email the details to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Recently, Scopely appointed Bobby Loya as its senior vice president of studio business development and developer relations. Loya, formerly of Activision, will focus on building game teams and managing external partnerships. His experience includes work on Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Crash Team Rumble. "I'm excited to join the team during this chapter and contribute to building even bigger franchises," Loya stated. King has named Eric Bowman as its new chief technical officer, who will report to president Tjodolf Sommestad and oversee the alignment of the company's technology strategy with its business operations. Bowman previously worked at TomTom as chief technology officer and held the position of vice president of digital foundation at Zalando SE. Jairo Lopes has been hired by Microsoft as a third-party business development manager for global content partnerships. Lopes' background includes a four-year stint at Lionbridge Games, where he served as business development director, and a role in business development at Hermit Crab Game Studio. On his new position, Lopes said, "I've always admired Xbox's commitment to making gaming accessible to everyone, and from the moment this opportunity arose, it felt like a dream come true." Sandsoft has appointed Emanuel Costan and Alexandre Alberti to its team. Alberti joins as a game developer, having previously worked as a hybrid server and client senior developer at Zeptolab. Costan will take on the role of lead artist, bringing experience as art manager at Product Madness and creative director at Madlight Studio. Microsoft has hired Leo Olebe as vice president of global partnerships at Xbox. Olebe has a extensive career in gaming and tech, having served as senior global director of game partnerships at Facebook and global head of gaming for YouTube. On his new role, Olebe said, "I'm honored and excited to join such a great team with a fantastic vision for the future of games." Skybound Games has appointed Chris Paulson as executive vice president and general manager of games publishing, overseeing commercial and marketing efforts. Paulson previously worked at Blizzard Entertainment as vice president of product management for Diablo and served as chief of staff to the CEO at Activision Blizzard. "I'm humbled and excited to join a company with such a rich history of creating compelling stories and worlds," Paulson said. Keywords Studios has named Blandine Prost as global business development director, having originally joined the company in 2014 as a client partner. Prost's experience includes working at Babel Media as sales director for Europe and Japan. "I'm excited to see the potential of where the video games industry can go in my new role, working with talented people along the way," she stated. Griffin Gaming Partners has appointed Aaron Loeb as operating partner, bringing experience from roles at Scopely, Disney, and Kabam. Loeb said, "I pride myself on providing teams with tailored insights and support based on their mission and creative vision." Jagex has appointed Marc Allera as chairman of the board, aiming to support the company's future business operations. Allera's experience includes roles at Sega, Three UK, and EE, and he currently serves as CEO of the consumer division at BT. "I'm looking forward to using my experience to support Phil and his team in achieving their plans for RuneScape and other titles," Allera said. GSC Game World has hired Agostino Simonetta as chief commercial officer, who will lead publishing and business development. Simonetta's background includes roles at Thunderful Group, Microsoft, and PlayStation Europe. "I'm thrilled to collaborate with the talented team and contribute to the launch of Stalker 2 and future plans," Simonetta said. Roblox has appointed John Love as vice president of business development and Allison McDuffee as global head of brand insights. Love previously worked at Disney Interactive, while McDuffee comes from Twitch. Murray Pannell has joined Playfusion as chief marketing officer, having previously worked at Build A Rocket Boy and 2K. Newzoo has named Remco Verheij as chief financial officer, with experience from roles at JDE Peet's and Activision Blizzard.