Keeping track of personnel movements in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather the most noteworthy hires, promotions and departures. If your organisation has recently welcomed new talent or seen staff transition to different roles, please forward the name, new title, new 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 entered Epic in 2017 as a developer‑support manager, later advancing to 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 genuine heavyweight in our industry, with a reputation and technical clout that speak for themselves," said CodeDev Group founder Myke Parrot.
"He knows game development from every angle – from low‑level engine scripting to managing developer relations on the world’s biggest platforms. Appointing Ben as CEO sends a clear signal: if your title is suffering performance issues on any engine, we have the premier team on the planet to resolve them." In other news, James Turner has rejoined The Pokémon Company International as Creative Director of Pokémon Art and Design. Turner departed 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 earned critical praise for its inventive mechanics. Respawn Entertainment announced the promotion of Billy King to Lead Concept Artist.
King previously headed concept art at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as senior concept artist for Amazon Games, contributing to several high‑profile projects across the action‑adventure and shooter genres. Team17 welcomed Sam Duncombe as Brand Marketing Manager. Duncombe comes from Warner Bros.
Discovery, where he managed product strategy for both games and film divisions, bringing a cross‑media perspective to the indie‑focused publisher. Loom Games added Cansu Karahan Can as People and Culture Manager. Can’s prior experience includes a similar role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she oversaw talent acquisition, employee engagement and organisational development. At Fellow Traveler, Christopher Wulf was promoted to Senior Business Development Manager.
Since joining the firm in 2021, Wulf has driven partnership initiatives; before that he spent several years at The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager. Wizards of the Coast appointed Julie Derhak as a Producer for the Dungeons & Dragons line.
Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, where she contributed to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite collaboration, gaining deep experience in large‑scale live service production. Mojang Studios named Alvaro Menéndez International Social Lead. Menéndez previously held the senior marketing manager position for Epic Games in Madrid, where he led community‑building campaigns for flagship titles. Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to Senior Audio Designer.
Johnsson originally joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since advanced to senior status, contributing to the soundscapes of several recent releases. After a seven‑year tenure at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer left to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games.
Nanzer’s Epic portfolio included senior vice‑president roles overseeing partnerships and monetisation. "The scale of 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 chance to help shape Paramount's future was simply too compelling to pass up." Amazon Gaming announced Julia Gutnik as Head of Media. Gutnik previously led media, social and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Amazon Studios and Prime Video, where she managed digital and ad‑tech media initiatives. "Returning to the entertainment side after two years in the auto industry feels like coming home," she remarked. Studio MDHR added Lorna Antoniazzi as Art Producer.
Antoniazzi previously produced at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. Grand Games hired Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager; Kutbay’s most recent role was product manager at Rollic, where she oversaw mobile‑first titles. Games Workshop welcomed back David Bailey as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing.
Bailey first joined the company in 2019 as senior licensing manager, left in 2021 for Sumo Digital, and now returns to steward the expansive Warhammer IP. "It's a privilege to return to the evergreen Warhammer universes and help spearhead new licensing opportunities," he said. Second Stage appointed Liana Murphy as Account Director for US Operations.
Murphy previously held dual roles as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing. Amazon Luna named Tim Coombs Head of Brand Marketing. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox (2020‑2026) and earlier led product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech.
Erik Mogensen exited Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for digital gaming. Mogensen’s 23‑year career at Games Workshop culminated in heading business development and consumer product licensing.
"Working on my favourite brands – Warhammer, D&D, Magic, Transformers – has been a dream," he reflected. Blizzard Entertainment hired Ryan Rubin as Senior Producer. Rubin’s background includes senior production roles on Netflix mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, as well as five years at Riot Games on League of Legends creative development.
Battlestate Games appointed Andrey Odintsov as Head of Marketing. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth consultant.
Frontier Developments announced Dan Lazarides as Chief Marketing Officer. Lazarides formerly served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO. "Dan brings a wealth of experience on some of the industry's largest IPs," said Cooke. "His leadership will reinforce our player‑first strategy and celebrate community‑driven creativity." Kalypso Media UK named Karen Ionescu Digital Sales Manager.
Ionescu’s résumé includes sales leadership at Numskull Games, Nintendo and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson praised her extensive retail and digital channel relationships.
Swipe Right promoted Hannah Barrett to Senior Account Executive. Barrett joined the esports and gaming communications agency in December 2025 as an account executive.
Supercell hired Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore. Fintech platform ZBD appointed Nathan Solbrandt as SVP of Business Development. Solbrandt’s prior roles include senior account executive at Motorica and VP of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla.
Riot Games added Olivia Lee as Internal Events Producer, following her work as associate producer for internal programs. Xsolla welcomed Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator; she formerly managed account performance at Playback Rewards. Bethesda reinstated Tracey Thompson as VP of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, later moved to EA as head of product and studio integrated communications, and now returns to oversee messaging for iconic franchises.
Nintendo of America appointed Maddie Richter as Social Media Marketing Manager. Richter previously managed social channels for Alaska Airlines. Yotta Games hired narrative designer Dana Duffield, who came from a senior narrative designer role at Series Entertainment.
Yogscast Games announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis (PR & Influencer Manager, formerly creator and community director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney (Production Coordinator, ex‑junior producer at Atelier 11) and Charlotte Pang (Publishing Coordinator, with past experience as producer, animator and educator at Team Gramps, Queensguard and Submarine Art School). Roblox’s Foundation AI team expanded with Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger, who co‑founded Jars AI in 2023 after securing $3.5 million from Google and other investors. They will help develop the mobile‑first AI creation tool Build in New Zealand.
"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," Holm said. Rockstar Games added Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager, Live Services. Sudireddy previously managed product on Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar. Netflix Games appointed Joe Chard as Lead Product Manager.
Chard’s background includes VP, studio general manager and head of product at Jam City, plus senior product roles at Disney and Warner Bros. Entertainment. These moves illustrate the fluid nature of talent within the interactive entertainment ecosystem, where seasoned veterans and emerging leaders alike continue to shape the future of games, media and technology.