Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the games sector can be a real challenge, which is why we put together regular round‑ups of the most noteworthy movements. If you know of any new appointments or role changes that belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company, and previous position 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 positions at classic studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a deep‑rooted perspective on both legacy and modern game development pipelines. "Ben is a genuine heavyweight in the industry, with a reputation and technical credibility that speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "He understands game creation from every angle – whether you’re writing engine code, negotiating platform relationships, or overseeing large‑scale optimisation projects.
Bringing Ben on board as CEO of The Performance Guys sends a clear signal: if your title suffers from performance bottlenecks on any engine, you’re working with the best team on the planet 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 hand‑drawn aesthetic.
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, bringing a wealth of experience in crafting visual direction for large‑scale live‑service and AAA projects. Sam Duncombe steps into the role of Brand Marketing Manager at Team 17, after a tenure as Product Manager for games and film at Warner Bros.
Discovery. His background in cross‑media product strategy is expected to bolster Team 17’s brand presence across both digital and physical channels. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously performed the same function at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion).
Her expertise in talent development and organisational health will support Loom’s growing indie studio culture. Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller. Wulf, who entered the company in 2021, formerly worked for The Triple‑i Initiative where he managed senior business and event responsibilities.
Julie Derhak takes on a producer role 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 foundation in large‑scale live‑service production. Alvaro Menéndez becomes International Social Lead at Mojang Studios.
Prior to this, he served as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global community initiatives and social campaigns. Linus Johnsson is promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments. Johnsson first joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since progressed through the ranks, contributing to the studio’s acclaimed soundscapes.
Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after a seven‑year stint to assume the position of Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. At Epic, Nanzer most recently held the title of Senior Vice President of Partnerships and Monetisation. "The scale of ambition and vision for what's next at Paramount is incredibly exciting," Nanzer said. "I've spent my career at the intersection of games, entertainment, and fandom, and the chance to help shape the future there was simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik is appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming.
Before this, she led media, social, and analytics at Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she managed digital and ad‑tech media initiatives. "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 remarked. Lorna Antoniazzi becomes Art Producer at Studio MDHR, having previously produced at Roarty Digital on projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. Her experience in coordinating large creative teams will be vital for MDHR’s distinctive artistic direction.
Aysu Kutbay is named Product Manager at Grand Games, after serving in the same capacity 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 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now says, "It’s a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here." Liana Murphy takes the post of Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage.
She previously held dual responsibilities as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, bringing extensive operational and communications expertise. Tim Coombs is appointed Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and earlier served as Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017, followed by senior roles within 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 career at Games Workshop culminated in the role of Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing. "It’s not lost on me how special it’s been to work on, and for, my favourite brands – Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers – and I look forward to the next chapter, wherever that may be," he reflected.
Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin previously produced two shipped mobile titles for 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 becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. He previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for gaming projects.
Dan Lazarides is named Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke who moved to the CEO role in January. Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe.
"We are delighted to welcome Dan to Frontier, who brings a wealth of experience on some of the industry’s largest IPs," said CEO Jo Cooke. "His leadership will continue Frontier’s upward momentum and reinforce our player‑first strategy." Karen Ionescu takes on the role of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu’s background includes sales leadership at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson commented, "She brings a wealth of commercial experience and long‑standing relationships across both retail and digital sales channels." 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 appoints Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously held the same position at Metacore for four years. Nathan Solbrandt becomes Senior Vice President of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after roles as Senior Account Executive at Motorica and Vice President of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla. Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, having previously coordinated 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, progressed to Associate VP of Communications, left for EA in 2019, 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 tenure as Social Media Manager at 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 (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 past experience as Producer, Animator, and Artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and as an 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. "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 is hired by Rockstar Games as Marketing Manager for Live Services. He previously managed product responsibilities on Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar. Joe Chard becomes Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard’s background includes a six‑year stint 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 interactive entertainment industry, highlighting both the continuity of seasoned veterans and the infusion of fresh perspectives across development, publishing, and commercial functions.