Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and role changes across the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we put together periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves. If you have a news tip about a new appointment or a transition within your studio, please forward the name, new title, 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 joined Epic in 2017 as a developer support manager, later becoming business development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine. His résumé also includes senior leadership stints at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien. "Ben is a true industry heavyweight whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said CodeDev Group founder Myke Parrot.
"He understands game development from every angle – from writing 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." James Turner has rejoined 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 released its debut title, The Plucky Squire, in September 2024. His return marks a homecoming to the franchise he helped shape for many years.
Billy King steps into the role of Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously led concept art at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as senior concept artist for Amazon Games, bringing a wealth of experience in crafting visual identities for large‑scale projects. Sam Duncombe has been named Brand Marketing Manager at Team 17 after a spell as Product Manager – Games and Film at Warner Bros. Discovery.
In his new capacity, he will steer brand strategy for the iconic UK publisher. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously held the same title at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). Her focus will be on nurturing talent and fostering an inclusive studio environment.
Christopher Wulf receives a promotion to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveler. Wulf, who entered the firm in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager. Julie Derhak becomes a producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast.
Before this, she spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and Lego Fortnite. Alvaro Menéndez is appointed International Social Lead at Mojang Studios.
He moves from a senior marketing manager role at Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global social initiatives. Linus Johnsson advances to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments.
Johnsson first joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since progressed through the audio team. Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. His most recent Epic role was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation.
"The scale of the ambition and vision here for what's next is incredibly exciting," Nanzer said. "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 takes the helm as Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Previously she led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she was head of 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 explained. Lorna Antoniazzi becomes Art Producer at Studio MDHR, after serving as a producer at Roarty Digital on projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite.
Aysu Kutbay is named Product Manager at Grand Games, coming from a product‑manager role at Rollic. David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey first 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 assumes the position of Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after concurrently serving as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing. Tim Coombs is appointed Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
He previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and held product‑marketing leadership roles 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. Prior to that, he spent 23 years at Games Workshop, most recently as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing. "It's not lost on me how special it's been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands," he reflected.
Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin’s background includes senior producer work at Netflix on mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, as well as five years at Riot Games on creative development for League of Legends.
Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. He previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now consults independently on growth and go‑to‑market strategy for games. Dan Lazarides is named Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO.
Lazarides formerly served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe. Cooke praised his appointment, noting that his leadership will reinforce Frontier’s player‑first strategy. Karen Ionescu takes the role of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK, bringing experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games.
Managing Director Andrew Johnson welcomed her, highlighting her strong retail and digital channel relationships. 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 role at Metacore for four years. Nathan Solbrandt becomes SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior account work at Motorica and a VP role at Xsolla for the Americas. Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, having previously served as associate producer for internal events and programs.
Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator, after working as an account performance manager at Playback Rewards. Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left for EA in 2019, and now looks forward to supporting iconic franchises alongside Xbox.
Maddie Richter becomes Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a stint as social media manager at Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, following senior narrative work 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, plus teaching roles 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 noted, "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 is hired by Rockstar Games as Marketing Manager, Live Services, after product‑manager work on Call of Duty at Activision and an internship in business development at Rockstar. Joe Chard becomes Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games, following a six‑year tenure as VP, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product at Jam City, plus senior roles at Disney and Warner Bros.