Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the games sector can be a daunting task. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather all of the noteworthy moves in one place.
If you know of a new appointment or a transition that belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company, as well as the previous role and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Amir Satvat has taken on the role of General Partner at 1Up Ventures.
Prior to this, he spent several years at Tencent Games where he was the Business Development Director, overseeing partnership strategy and growth initiatives. Satvat is also the founder of Always Supporting the Games Community (ASGC), a platform dedicated to helping job seekers find positions within the gaming industry.
"I wanted a role where the impact of my decisions would be felt directly by a team and by the people we help place into jobs," Satvat explained. "I’m passionate about turning more developers' dreams of creating games into reality, especially within smaller studios that I love so much. I also wanted to work in an environment that puts community first." 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 added, "1Up is a pivotal player in the games ecosystem, and I hope its distinctive approach to investing in games endures for many years to come." Lasse Seppänen announced his exit from Supercell after a seven‑year tenure.
He arrived at the Finnish powerhouse in 2019 as a producer and later assumed senior positions, including Head of Game Production Services and General Manager of Supercell London. "It’s time for me to return to my original passion – 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 led public affairs for TikTok in the United Kingdom, where he managed government relations and policy advocacy. Jess Pearce received a promotion at Kepler Interactive, moving up to Senior People Partner. Pearce originally joined Kepler in 2022 as a People Advisor and advanced to People Partner in 2024 before earning the senior title.
Shreya Godha was promoted to Producer at PlaySimple Games after serving as an Associate Producer for the developer. The new role expands her responsibilities over project timelines, team coordination, and feature delivery. Epic Games announced Kelly Ekins as its new Director of Communications. Ekins comes from Unity, where she served as Senior Director of Global PR for the Games and Made with Unity program.
Before that, she joined Unity in 2018 as Marketing Lead for Media & Entertainment after a stint at Warner Brothers Games Montreal as Studio Lead for Game Marketing and Communications. Housemarque co‑founder and Managing Director Ilari Kuittinen stepped down after a remarkable 31‑year career with the studio. Kuittinen co‑founded Housemarque with Harri Tikkanen in 1995 following the merger of their respective companies, Bloodhouse and Terramarque.
"Looking back, I feel immensely fortunate," Kuittinen reflected. "We were in the right place at the right time for three decades of explosive industry growth, which allowed us to stay fiercely independent for 26 years before joining the PlayStation Studios family." He added, "We have been planning this leadership transition carefully behind the scenes. On July 1, Sami ‘Haxu’ Hakala officially assumed the Managing Director role, and I have continued supporting him and the leadership team until today to ensure complete operational continuity and stability.
Housemarque’s strategy and creative vision are in exceptional hands." Tamara Feiman has been appointed CEO of Lion Studios, the publishing arm of Tripledot Studios. Feiman began her career at Lion in 2020 as the EMEA Business Development Lead and later became Publishing General Manager. "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 has always made Lion special is how we work with our partner studios. Together we’ve taken risks, learned quickly, and turned great ideas into games played by millions." "Lion has never been about a single individual. I’m fortunate to work alongside an incredible team across publishing, growth, product, engineering, and market intelligence, as well as our talented studio partners around the world," she continued.
Heather Sangria has joined Sega of America as Community Manager. 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 role at Undead Labs. Emily Rose Chen earned a promotion to Senior Product Manager for Call of Duty at Activision Blizzard. Chen started at Activision in 2020 as a Financial Analyst, later moving into product management before rising to the senior position.
Scot McCarron was elevated to Senior Director of Product Management for Call of Duty, also at Activision Blizzard. McCarron originally joined the company in 2018 as a Product Marketing Manager for emerging franchises, later becoming Director of Product Management on the Call of Duty series before his latest promotion. These movements illustrate the dynamic nature of talent flow within the gaming industry, highlighting how experience in diverse roles—ranging from development and production to public affairs and community engagement—continues to shape the sector’s evolution.
As studios and publishers adapt to new technologies, market trends, and player expectations, the careers of individuals like Satvat, Seppänen, Derrington, and many others serve as a barometer of where the industry is heading and the opportunities that lie ahead.