Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the gaming sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we put together periodic round‑ups that capture the most notable movements in one place. If you know of any recent appointments or role changes that belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, new employer, and previous position to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been tapped to lead The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group, as its new chief executive officer.
Board’s resume includes a stint as business development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine, a role he took on after joining Epic in 2017 as a developer‑support manager. Earlier in his career he held senior leadership posts at iconic studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a breadth of experience that spans both classic and modern game development.
"Ben is a genuine heavyweight in our industry, with a reputation and technical credibility that speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "He understands every facet of game creation—from writing engine scripts to handling developer relations for the world’s biggest platforms and engines. Appointing Ben as CEO of The Performance Guys sends a clear signal to the market: if your title suffers from performance issues on any engine, we have the most capable team on the planet to resolve them." 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 received praise for its inventive gameplay and charming aesthetic. Billy King has stepped into the role of Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment.
King previously led concept teams at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, bringing a strong portfolio of sci‑fi and fantasy visuals to his new position. Sam Duncombe moves to Team17 as Brand Marketing Manager after a tenure as Product Manager for games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery, where he oversaw cross‑media initiatives and helped shape the company’s gaming portfolio.
Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously held the same title at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). Her background in talent development and organisational design is expected to strengthen Loom’s growing studio culture. Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveler.
Wulf, who entered the firm in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as a senior business and events manager, and his promotion reflects the company’s expanding focus on strategic partnerships. Julie Derhak is now a Producer 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, experience that will serve her well in managing tabletop‑gaming productions. Alvaro Menéndez takes on the role of International Social Lead at Mojang Studios.
Before this, he was Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he led global community campaigns for titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League. Linus Johnsson has been elevated to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments. Johnsson originally joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since contributed to the soundscapes of several high‑profile releases.
After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was SVP 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 has been named Head of Media at Amazon Gaming.
Gutnik previously oversaw media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent more than six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she directed digital and ad‑tech media strategies. "After two years in the auto sector, I'm returning to my entertainment roots and to the place that shaped me into a global marketing leader," she explained.
Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer. Antoniazzi formerly worked at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, and brings a strong background in art pipeline management. Aysu Kutbay becomes Product Manager at Grand Games, after serving as product manager 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 is appointed Account Director for US Operations at Second Stage, following a dual role as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing. Tim Coombs takes the helm as Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and held product marketing positions for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen exits 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 as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing, and reflected, "It's not lost on me how special it's been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands—Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers… I look forward to the next chapter, wherever that may be." Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin previously produced two 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 becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. He previously led user acquisition at Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant.
Dan Lazarides is appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides came from Sega Europe, where he served as Senior Vice President of Marketing, and replaces Jo Cooke, who moved to the CEO role in January.
Cooke praised Lazarides, saying his experience with large IPs will keep Frontier’s momentum strong and focus on a player‑first strategy. Karen Ionescu takes 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 noted her extensive retail and digital channel experience.
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 names Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously held the same position at Metacore for four years. Nathan Solbrandt becomes SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior roles at Motorica and Xsolla. Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, building on her prior experience as associate producer for 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, rose 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 stint as Social Media Manager for Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, having previously been Senior Narrative Designer 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, former producer, animator and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and former 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.
Holm said, "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." Sathvik Sudireddy becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games. He previously managed product for Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar. Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard’s background includes VP, Studio General Manager and Head of Product at Jam City, as well as senior roles at Disney and Warner Bros.