Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task. That’s why we publish regular round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves across studios, publishers, and service providers.
If you have a change at your own organization that you think belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, company, and previous position to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. --- **Ben Board – Chief Executive Officer, The Performance Guys (CodeDev Group)** Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has taken the helm of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group.
Board entered Epic in 2017 as a developer‑support manager, later overseeing business development for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine. His résumé also includes senior leadership roles at classic UK 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 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." Board’s appointment underscores CodeDev’s commitment to offering world‑class performance‑tuning services at a time when developers are pushing ever‑higher fidelity on constrained hardware. --- **James Turner – Creative Director, Pokémon Art & Design (The Pokémon Company International)** James Turner has re‑joined The Pokémon Company International as the creative director overseeing art and design for the franchise. 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 acclaim.
His return brings a blend of indie‑studio ingenuity and deep brand knowledge back to the core Pokémon team, where he will guide visual direction for upcoming games, merchandise, and cross‑media projects. --- **Billy King – Lead Concept Artist (Respawn Entertainment)** Respawn Entertainment announced the hiring of Billy King as its new lead concept artist. King previously held the same senior role at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, contributing to a range of high‑profile titles.
At Respawn, he will steer visual concept development for flagship franchises such as *Titanfall* and *Apex Legends*, ensuring the studio’s aesthetic stays fresh and competitive. --- **Sam Duncombe – Brand Marketing Manager (Team 17)** Sam Duncombe moves from Warner Bros. Discovery, where he was product manager for games and film, to Team 17 as brand marketing manager. In his new capacity, Duncombe will shape the public perception of Team 17’s diverse portfolio, from indie hits to established franchises, leveraging his experience in cross‑platform product strategy.
--- **Cansu Karahan Can – People & Culture Manager (Loom Games)** Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games after serving as people and culture manager at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). Her focus will be on nurturing a supportive workplace environment, aligning talent development with Loom’s creative ambitions, and championing inclusive HR practices. --- **Christopher Wulf – Senior Business Development Manager (Fellow Traveller)** Promoted within Fellow Traveller, Christopher Wulf now operates as senior business development manager. Since joining the firm in 2021, Wulf has driven partnership initiatives and previously managed senior business and event responsibilities at The Triple‑i Initiative.
--- **Julie Derhak – Producer, Dungeons & Dragons (Wizards of the Coast)** Julie Derhak transitions from a seven‑year stint at Epic Games, where she worked on Fortnite Tech Art and the *Lego Fortnite* collaboration, to Wizards of the Coast as a producer for the *Dungeons & Dragons* line. Her expertise in large‑scale live‑service pipelines will be valuable as Wizards expands its tabletop and digital offerings.
--- **Alvaro Menéndez – International Social Lead (Mojang Studios)** Alvaro Menéndez, formerly senior marketing manager for Epic Games in Madrid, is now the international social lead at Mojang Studios. He will oversee global community engagement for *Minecraft* and related IPs, applying his experience in multicultural campaign execution. --- **Linus Johnsson – Senior Audio Designer (Frontier Developments)** Linus Johnsson, a graduate audio designer who joined Frontier in 2022, has been promoted to senior audio designer.
He will now lead sound‑design direction for titles such as *Planet Coaster* and upcoming simulation projects, building on his early contributions to the studio’s audio pipeline. --- **Nate Nanzer – EVP, Head of Commercial & Marketing (Paramount Games)** After seven years at Epic Games, where he most recently served as SVP of partnerships and monetisation, Nate Nanzer departs to become executive vice‑president and head of commercial & marketing at Paramount Games. "The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting," Nanzer remarked. "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 – Head of Media (Amazon Gaming)** Julia Gutnik returns to Amazon’s entertainment arm as head of media for Amazon Gaming.
Previously she led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios handling digital and ad‑tech media. "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," Gutnik said. --- **Lorna Antoniazzi – Art Producer (Studio MDHR)** Lorna Antoniazzi, formerly a producer at Roarty Digital where she contributed to *Fortnite Battle Royale* and *Lego Fortnite*, joins Studio MDHR as an art producer. She will coordinate art pipelines for the studio’s distinctive hand‑drawn aesthetic, supporting titles like *Cuphead* and upcoming projects.
--- **Aysu Kutbay – Product Manager (Grand Games)** Aysu Kutbay moves from Rollic to Grand Games as product manager, where she will oversee product strategy and lifecycle management for Grand Games’ portfolio of mobile titles. --- **David Bailey – Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing (Games Workshop)** David Bailey returns to Games Workshop after a two‑year hiatus. Initially joining in 2019 as senior licensing manager, he left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital.
"It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," Bailey said. --- **Liana Murphy – Account Director, US Operations (Second Stage)** Liana Murphy, who most recently held dual roles as COO and head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing, is now account director for US operations at Second Stage, where she will manage agency‑client relationships across the North American market. --- **Tim Coombs – Head of Brand Marketing (Amazon Luna)** Tim Coombs, formerly director of brand management at Xbox until July 2026, steps into the role of head of brand marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs began his Xbox tenure in 2020 as senior manager for brand strategy and previously led product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech.
--- **Erik Mogensen – Former Senior Director of Business Development (Hasbro & Wizards of the Coast)** Erik Mogensen departs Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years steering digital‑gaming business development. Prior to that, he spent 23 years at Games Workshop, culminating as head of business development and consumer‑product licensing. "First Warhammer, and most recently Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers… the list goes on. I'm very much looking forward to my next chapter, whatever and wherever that may be," he reflected.
--- **Ryan Rubin – Senior Producer (Blizzard Entertainment)** Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as a senior producer. He previously oversaw two shipped mobile titles at Netflix—*Squid Game: Unleashed* and *Selling Sunset*—and spent five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the *League of Legends* IP.
--- **Andrey Odintsov – Head of Marketing (Battlestate Games)** Andrey Odintsov, formerly user‑acquisition manager at Multicast Games and now an independent growth consultant, is appointed head of marketing at Battlestate Games, where he will direct user‑growth strategies for titles such as *Escape from Tarkov*. --- **Dan Lazarides – Chief Marketing Officer (Frontier Developments)** Dan Lazarides arrives at Frontier Developments as chief marketing officer after serving as senior vice‑president of marketing at Sega Europe.
He succeeds Jo Cooke, who moved to the CEO role in January. "We are delighted to welcome Dan to Frontier, who brings with him a wealth of experience on some of the industry's largest IP," said Cooke. "His leadership will continue Frontier's upward momentum and reinforce our player‑first strategy." --- **Karen Ionescu – Digital Sales Manager (Kalypso Media UK)** Karen Ionescu, with prior sales‑manager experience at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games, joins Kalypso Media UK as digital sales manager.
Managing director Andrew Johnson praised her extensive commercial background and strong retailer relationships. --- **Hannah Barrett – Senior Account Executive (Swipe Right)** 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.
--- **Anni Pyy – Contract Manager (Supercell)** Supercell adds Anni Pyy as contract manager. Pyy previously spent four years handling contracts at Metacore, where she managed licensing and partnership agreements. --- **Nathan Solbrandt – SVP of Business Development (ZBD)** Nathan Solbrandt steps into the role of senior vice‑president of business development at fintech platform ZBD.
His background includes senior account executive work at Motorica and a vice‑president position overseeing Americas business development at Xsolla. --- **Olivia Lee – Internal Events Producer (Riot Games)** Olivia Lee, formerly associate producer for internal events and programs, is now internal events producer at Riot Games, where she will coordinate company‑wide gatherings and culture‑building initiatives. --- **Ciarah Pritchard – Account Coordinator (Xsolla)** Ciarah Pritchard moves from Playback Rewards, where she was account performance manager, to Xsolla as an account coordinator, supporting the company’s global publisher services. --- **Tracey Thompson – VP of Communications (Bethesda)** Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as vice‑president of communications.
She originally joined Bethesda in 2009 as director of publications, later becoming associate VP of communications before leaving for EA in 2019. "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," Thompson said. --- **Maddie Richter – Social Media Marketing Manager (Nintendo of America)** Maddie Richter, previously social media manager at Alaska Airlines, is now social media marketing manager for Nintendo of America, where she will lead community engagement for flagship franchises and new releases.
--- **Dana Duffield – Narrative Designer (Yotta Games)** Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a narrative designer after serving as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment, bringing expertise in story architecture for mobile and indie titles. --- **Yogscast Games – New Hires** The UK publisher Yogscast Games announced three new team members: Charlotte Willis (PR & 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).
--- **Steffen Holm & Chris Kruger – Roblox Foundation AI Team** 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, raising $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. --- **Sathvik Sudireddy – Marketing Manager, Live Services (Rockstar Games)** Sathvik Sudireddy becomes marketing manager for live services at Rockstar Games.
He previously managed product on *Call of Duty* at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar. --- **Joe Chard – Lead Product Manager (Netflix Games)** Joe Chard is appointed lead product manager at Netflix Games. Chard’s prior experience includes a six‑year tenure as vice‑president, studio general manager, and head of product at Jam City, as well as senior roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros.
Entertainment. --- These appointments illustrate the fluid nature of talent movement within the gaming ecosystem, where seasoned veterans and emerging leaders alike continue to shape the industry’s future.