Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions across the gaming sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we put together these periodic round‑ups, gathering the most noteworthy personnel moves in one convenient place. If your organization has recent staffing changes that belong in this list, please forward the name of the individual, their new title and company, as well as their previous role and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Amir Satvat has been appointed General Partner at 1Up Ventures.
Prior to this, he spent several years at Tencent Games where he held the position of Business Development Director. In addition to his corporate experience, Satvat founded and leads the initiative Always Supporting the Games Community (ASGC), a platform designed to help job seekers navigate the games industry job market. "I wanted a role where I could see a direct link between the actions I take and the impact on a team, especially when it comes to getting people back to work," Satvat explained. "My goal has always been to help turn more people's aspirations of creating games into reality.
I also wanted to work in an environment that focuses on smaller studios, because I have a deep affection for indie‑scale projects, and I value a community‑first culture." He continued, "My final wish was to collaborate with colleagues who share the same values and integrity that I hold dear. Accepting 1Up’s invitation feels like all those wishes are coming together." Satvat also praised 1Up’s role in the broader ecosystem, stating, "1Up is a crucial player in the games investment landscape, and I hope its distinctive approach to backing studios endures for many years to come." Lasse Seppänen announced his departure from Supercell after a seven‑year tenure. He joined Supercell in 2019 as a producer and progressed through a series of senior positions, including Head of Game Production Services and General Manager of Supercell London. "Now it’s time to return to my passion for creating new game IPs," Seppänen said.
"I’ll stay in the UK, and in 2027 I plan to launch my own studio again – I’ll share more details when the timing is right." Take‑Two Interactive has named Giles Derrington as Director of Global Affairs for the UK. Derrington previously served as Head of Public Affairs for TikTok in the United Kingdom. Jess Pearce received a promotion at Kepler Interactive, moving up to Senior People Partner. Pearce originally joined Kepler as a People Advisor in 2022 and advanced to People Partner in 2024.
Shreya Godha has been elevated to Producer at PlaySimple Games, after serving as an Associate Producer with the developer. Epic Games announced the appointment of Kelly Ekins as Director of Communications. Ekins comes from Unity, where she was Senior Director of Global PR for the Games and Made with Unity program. Before her Unity stint, Ekins joined the company in 2018 as Marketing Lead for Media and Entertainment, after spending time at Warner Brothers Games Montreal as Studio Lead for Game Marketing and Communications.
Ilari Kuittinen, co‑founder and Managing Director of Housemarque, is stepping down after an impressive 31‑year career with the studio. Kuittinen co‑founded Housemarque in 1995 alongside Harri Tikkanen, merging their earlier ventures Bloodhouse and Terramarque.
"Looking back, I feel incredibly fortunate," Kuittinen reflected. "We were in the right place at the right time throughout three decades of rapid industry growth, which allowed us to stay fiercely independent for 26 years before joining the PlayStation Studios family." He added, "We have planned this leadership transition carefully behind the scenes. On July 1, Sami ‘Haxu’ Hakala officially assumed the Managing Director role, and I have continued to support him and the leadership team to ensure smooth operational continuity. Housemarque’s strategy and creative vision are in excellent hands." Tamara Feiman has been named CEO of Lion Studios, the publishing arm of Tripledot Studios.
Feiman previously held the position of Publishing General Manager and began her career at Lion Studios in 2020 as EMEA Business Development Lead. "I joined Lion six years ago," Feiman said.
"Since then I’ve had the privilege of growing alongside the company through its biggest successes, challenges, and transformations. What makes Lion special is how we collaborate with our partner studios.
Together we take risks, learn quickly, and turn great ideas into games played by millions." "Lion has never been about a single individual. I’m fortunate to work with an extraordinary team across publishing, growth, product, engineering, and market intelligence, as well as our talented studio partners worldwide," she added.
Heather Sangria has taken on the role of Community Manager at Sega of America. Prior to this, she worked as a contract Social Strategist and Community Lead at One More Game, and held a digital strategy and community management position at Undead Labs. Emily Rose Chen was promoted to Senior Product Manager for Call of Duty at Activision Blizzard.
Chen originally joined the company as a Financial Analyst in 2020 before moving into product management. Scot McCarron also earned a promotion at Activision Blizzard, becoming Senior Director of Product Management for Call of Duty. McCarron previously served as Director of Product Management on the franchise, having joined Activision in 2018 as a Product Marketing Manager for emerging franchises. These announcements reflect the dynamic nature of talent movement within the gaming industry, underscoring how individuals continue to shape the future of interactive entertainment through new challenges and leadership roles.