Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions across the games sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves in a single, easy‑to‑read format. If your studio has recent staffing changes that deserve a mention, please forward the names, new titles, and previous positions to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
In a significant leadership shift, Ben Board, formerly a senior executive at Epic Games, 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 pivotal positions at storied UK studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead, and BossAlien, giving him a breadth of experience that spans both classic and modern game development. “Myriad industry veterans will instantly recognise Ben’s technical credibility and his reputation for delivering results,” said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group.
“He has a 360‑degree view of game creation—from low‑level engine scripting to high‑level developer relations on the world’s biggest platforms. Appointing him as CEO sends a clear signal: any performance bottleneck, regardless of the engine, can be solved by the best team on the planet.” 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 launched its debut title, The Plucky Squire, in September 2024. His return brings a blend of indie‑spirit and deep franchise knowledge back to the Pokémon brand.
Billy King steps 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, contributing to a range of high‑profile projects and sharpening his skill set in both sci‑fi and fantasy visual development.
Other notable movements include: - Sam Duncombe, now brand marketing manager at Team 17, after a product‑management stint covering games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery. - Cansu Karahan Can, who becomes people and culture manager at Loom Games, following a similar role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). - Christopher Wulf, promoted to senior business development manager at Fellow Traveler; he joined the firm in 2021 after serving as senior business and event manager for The Triple‑i Initiative.
- Julie Derhak, appointed 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 crossover. - Alvaro Menéndez, now international social lead at Mojang Studios, after a senior marketing manager role at Epic Games Madrid. - Linus Johnsson, promoted to senior audio designer at Frontier Developments, having risen from graduate audio designer since joining the studio in 2022.
- Nate Nanzer, departing Epic after seven years to become EVP, head of commercial & marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer most recently served as SVP of partnerships and monetisation at Epic.
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.” - Julia Gutnik, named head of media at Amazon Gaming, after leading media, social, and analytics for Kia America and holding senior digital‑and‑ad‑tech roles at Prime Video and Amazon Studios. - Lorna Antoniazzi, appointed art producer at Studio MDHR, previously a producer at Roarty Digital where she worked on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. - Aysu Kutbay, now product manager at Grand Games, after a product‑manager role at Rollic.
- David Bailey, returning to Games Workshop as lead commercial manager – licensing. Bailey first joined Games Workshop in 2019, 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, appointed account director, US operations at Second Stage, after serving as COO and head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing.
- Tim Coombs, now head of brand marketing for Amazon Luna, after a director‑level brand‑management tenure at Xbox (2020‑2026) and earlier product‑marketing roles for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech. - Erik Mogensen, leaving Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming.
He previously spent 23 years at Games Workshop, most recently heading business development and consumer‑product licensing. - Ryan Rubin, joining Blizzard Entertainment as senior producer. Rubin’s background includes senior producer work on Netflix mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, plus five years at Riot Games on creative development for the League of Legends IP. - Andrey Odintsov, appointed head of marketing at Battlestate Games, after a user‑acquisition role at Multicast Games and work as an independent growth consultant.
- Dan Lazarides, taking the CMO seat at Frontier Developments. Lazarides formerly served as SVP of marketing at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO of Frontier. Cooke praised his arrival, noting his experience with “some of the industry’s largest IP” and his focus on a player‑first strategy. - Karen Ionescu, hired as digital sales manager at Kalypso Media UK, after roles at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games.
Managing director Andrew Johnson highlighted her extensive retail and digital sales network. - Hannah Barrett, promoted to senior account executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining as an account executive in December 2025. - Anni Pyy, contract manager for Supercell, previously holding the same title at Metacore for four years. - Nathan Solbrandt, named 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, internal events producer at Riot Games, building on her experience as associate producer for internal events and programs. - Ciarah Pritchard, account coordinator at Xsolla, formerly account performance manager at Playback Rewards. - Tracey Thompson, returning to Bethesda as VP of communications.
Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, rose to associate VP of communications, left for EA in 2019, and now says she looks forward to supporting iconic franchises across Bethesda and Xbox. - Maddie Richter, social media marketing manager at Nintendo of America, after a stint as social media manager for Alaska Airlines. - Dana Duffield, narrative designer at Yotta Games, previously senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment.
- Yogscast Games announced 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 have joined 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, marketing manager, live services at Rockstar Games, after product‑manager work on Call of Duty at Activision and an internship in business development at Rockstar. - Joe Chard, lead product manager at Netflix Games, previously VP, studio general manager, and head of product at Jam City, with senior roles at Disney and Warner Bros. These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the fluid nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment ecosystem. Companies continually seek fresh perspectives, seasoned leadership, and specialized expertise to stay competitive in a market driven by rapid technological change and evolving player expectations.
The breadth of roles—from creative direction and concept art to brand marketing, business development, and AI research—highlights how diverse skill sets are now essential to the success of modern game studios and related entertainment platforms.