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 have news about a new appointment or a transition within your studio, feel free to email the details—name, new role, new company, plus the previous position and employer—to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. One of the headline announcements this month is the appointment of former Epic Games executive Ben Board as chief executive officer of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group. Board first joined Epic in 2017 as a developer‑support manager, later taking charge of business development for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine.
His résumé also includes senior leadership posts at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios and BossAlien, giving him a rare blend of technical depth and commercial savvy. "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." In other news, James Turner has re‑joined The Pokémon Company International 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 storytelling. His return to the Pokémon franchise signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand consistency across the global franchise. Respawn Entertainment announced that Billy King will serve as its new Lead Concept Artist.
King brings extensive experience from his previous roles as Lead Concept Artist at ZeniMax Online Studios and Senior Concept Artist at Amazon Games, where he helped define visual identities for large‑scale live‑service titles. Team17 named Sam Duncombe its Brand Marketing Manager. Duncombe previously oversaw product and film initiatives at Warner Bros. Discovery, where he managed cross‑media campaigns that linked gaming IPs with cinematic releases.
Loom Games welcomed Cansu Karahan Can as People and Culture Manager. Can’s prior position was People and Culture Manager at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she built inclusive workplace programs and led talent‑development strategies. Fellow Traveller promoted Christopher Wulf to Senior Business Development Manager. Wulf, who joined the firm in 2021, previously served as Senior Business and Event Manager for The Triple‑i Initiative, overseeing partnership negotiations and large‑scale industry events.
Wizards of the Coast added Julie Derhak to its Dungeons & Dragons team as a Producer. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite collaboration, before moving to the tabletop arena.
Mojang Studios appointed Alvaro Menéndez as International Social Lead. Menéndez comes from Epic Games Madrid, where he was Senior Marketing Manager, responsible for global community engagement and social‑media strategy. Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to Senior Audio Designer. Johnsson began his Frontier career in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since contributed to the soundscapes of several high‑profile releases.
After a seven‑year stint at Epic, Nate Nanzer departed to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation.
He remarked, "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." Amazon Gaming named Julia Gutnik Head of Media.
Gutnik previously led media, social and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she directed digital and ad‑tech media initiatives. "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," she said.
Studio MDHR hired Lorna Antoniazzi as Art Producer. Antoniazzi’s background includes a producer role at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite assets.
Grand Games added Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager, following her tenure at Rollic where she oversaw mobile‑game product pipelines. Games Workshop welcomed back David Bailey as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey originally joined the company in 2019, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now returns to steward the expansive Warhammer licensing portfolio.
Second Stage appointed Liana Murphy as Account Director for US Operations. Murphy previously held dual roles as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing.
Amazon Luna announced Tim Coombs as Head of Brand Marketing. Coombs came from Xbox, where he served as Director of Brand Management until July 2026, and earlier led product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen exited 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 heading business development and consumer‑product licensing. Blizzard Entertainment brought Ryan Rubin on board as Senior Producer. Rubin’s previous experience includes senior producer roles at Netflix (Squid Game: Unleashed, Selling Sunset) and five years at Riot Games working on League of Legends creative development.
Battlestate Games named Andrey Odintsov Head of Marketing. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant.
Frontier Developments promoted Dan Lazarides to Chief Marketing Officer, succeeding Jo Cooke after she became CEO. Lazarides formerly served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and will drive Frontier’s player‑first strategy.
Kalypso Media UK hired Karen Ionescu as Digital Sales Manager. Ionescu’s background spans sales leadership at Numskull Games, Nintendo and Rising Star Games. Swipe Right elevated Hannah Barrett to Senior Account Executive.
Barrett joined the esports and gaming communications agency in December 2025 as an Account Executive. Supercell appointed Anni Pyy as Contract Manager, after four years in the same capacity at Metacore. Fintech platform ZBD named Nathan Solbrandt SVP of Business Development. Solbrandt previously held senior account roles at Motorica and was Vice President of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla.
Riot Games added Olivia Lee as Internal Events Producer, building on her prior role as Associate Producer for internal programs. Xsolla welcomed Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator, after she worked as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards. Bethesda re‑engaged Tracey Thompson as Vice President of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left for EA in 2019, and now returns to oversee communications across Bethesda and Xbox titles.
Nintendo of America named Maddie Richter Social Media Marketing Manager. Richter previously managed social channels for Alaska Airlines. Yotta Games hired narrative designer Dana Duffield, who came from Series Entertainment where she served as Senior Narrative Designer.
Yogscast Games announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis as PR and Influencer Manager (formerly Creator and Community Director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney as Production Coordinator (previous junior producer at Atelier 11) and Charlotte Pang as Publishing Coordinator (formerly producer, animator and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and instructor at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Roblox’s Foundation AI team expanded with Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger, both co‑founders of Jars AI, an interactive AI platform that raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors in 2023.
Their expertise will support the mobile‑first AI creation tool Build in New Zealand. Rockstar Games appointed Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager, Live Services.
Sudireddy previously managed product for Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar. Netflix Games promoted Joe Chard to Lead Product Manager. Chard’s background includes a VP and Studio General Manager role at Jam City, as well as senior product positions at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment.