Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves. If you know of a change at your studio that belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, company, and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. In a significant leadership shuffle, 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 positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a deep‑rooted understanding of both legacy and modern game‑development pipelines. "Ben is a genuine heavyweight in the industry; his reputation and technical clout speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "He knows game creation from the ground up – from writing engine scripts to steering developer‑relations for the world’s largest platforms.
Appointing Ben as CEO of The Performance Guys sends a clear signal: if your title suffers from performance bottlenecks on any engine, we have the most capable team on the planet to remedy it." 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 indie studio released its debut title, The Plucky Squire, in September 2024. His return marks a homecoming for a designer who helped shape the visual language of the franchise for years. Billy King has been promoted to lead concept artist at Respawn Entertainment.
King previously headed concept art at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as senior concept artist for Amazon Games, bringing a wealth of experience in high‑budget, narrative‑driven environments. Other notable appointments include: - Sam Duncombe, now brand‑marketing manager at Team 17, after a tenure as product manager for games and film at Warner Bros.
Discovery. - Cansu Karahan Can, people‑and‑culture manager at Loom Games, formerly in the same capacity at Stoikk (previously Kompanion). - Christopher Wulf, promoted to senior business‑development manager at Fellow Traveler, where he has been since 2021 following a senior role at The Triple‑i Initiative.
- Julie Derhak, producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast, after seven years at Epic Games working on Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite crossover. - Alvaro Menéndez, international social lead at Mojang Studios, previously senior marketing manager for Epic Games in Madrid.
- Linus Johnsson, senior audio designer at Frontier Developments, rising from graduate audio designer when he joined the studio in 2022. - Nate Nanzer, departing Epic after seven years to become EVP, head of commercial & marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer, who most recently served as SVP of partnerships and monetisation, said, "The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting.
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 at Amazon Gaming, after leading media, social, and analytics at Kia America and spending six years in digital and ad‑tech roles within Prime Video and Amazon Studios. She remarked, "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." - Lorna Antoniazzi, art producer at Studio MDHR, previously a producer at Roarty Digital where she contributed to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. - Aysu Kutbay, product manager at Grand Games, after a product‑management role at Rollic. - David Bailey, lead commercial manager – licensing at Games Workshop, returning after a stint as director of business affairs at Sumo Digital.
He noted, "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here." - Liana Murphy, account director for US operations at Second Stage, formerly COO and head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing. - Tim Coombs, head of brand marketing for Amazon Luna, after serving as director of brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and earlier roles in Amazon Lumberyard and Game Tech. - Erik Mogensen, exiting 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 heading business development and consumer‑product licensing. - Ryan Rubin, senior producer at Blizzard Entertainment, previously senior producer at Netflix where he oversaw mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, and five years at Riot Games on League of Legends creative development. - And many more appointments across the sector, including marketing leads at Battlestate Games, Frontier Developments, Kalypso Media UK, and Yotta Games, as well as creative and production roles at Roblox, Rockstar Games, Netflix Games, and Yogscast Games.
These movements illustrate the fluid nature of talent within the interactive‑entertainment industry, where expertise in design, technology, marketing, and community management is constantly reshuffled to meet the evolving demands of players worldwide. The breadth of experience represented—from veteran developers who helped launch iconic franchises to newcomers who have driven successful indie launches—highlights the sector’s blend of legacy knowledge and fresh perspective.
As studios continue to expand into new platforms, embrace emerging technologies like AI‑driven content creation, and pursue global market growth, the strategic hiring of seasoned leaders such as Ben Board, James Turner, and Billy King will be pivotal in shaping the next wave of gaming experiences. For any further updates or to submit additional personnel changes, please contact newhires@gamesindustry.biz.