Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the games sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather all the noteworthy personnel moves in one place. If your studio has recent appointments or internal shifts that belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, company, and previous role 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’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 senior positions at iconic studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a deep‑rooted understanding of both legacy and modern development pipelines. "Ben is a true industry heavy‑hitter whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group.
"He understands game development from every angle – from coding 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." In other news, 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 indie venture released its debut title, The Plucky Squire, in September 2024. His return signals a renewed focus on artistic direction within the Pokémon brand.
Billy King has been promoted to Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously served as lead concept artist at ZeniMax Online Studios and as senior concept artist at Amazon Games, bringing a wealth of experience in high‑profile franchise visual development. Sam Duncombe moves to Team 17 as Brand Marketing Manager after a tenure as Product Manager – Games and Film at Warner Bros.
Discovery. His background in both interactive and cinematic content will help shape Team 17’s brand narrative across multiple media. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously held the same title at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). Her expertise in talent development and organisational culture is expected to bolster Loom’s growing studio environment.
Christopher Wulf has been elevated to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller. Wulf, who entered the company in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, giving him a strong foundation in partnership cultivation. Julie Derhak is now a 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 collaboration, experience that will inform her new role overseeing tabletop‑to‑digital initiatives.
Alvaro Menéndez takes on the role of International Social Lead at Mojang Studios after serving as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid. His global perspective on community engagement will support Mojang’s worldwide player base. Linus Johnsson has been promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments.
Johnsson originally joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since progressed through the sound team, now overseeing complex audio systems for upcoming titles. After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic position was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation. He commented, "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 steps into the role of Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Prior to this, she led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she oversaw digital and ad‑tech media strategies. "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," she said. Lorna Antoniazzi becomes Art Producer at Studio MDHR, after previously producing at Roarty Digital on projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite.
Her background in art pipeline management will support MDHR’s distinctive visual style. Aysu Kutbay has been named Product Manager at Grand Games, moving from a similar role at Rollic where she helped launch several successful mobile titles.
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. It's an incredible opportunity and it's great to be back in the fold working alongside great people." Liana Murphy is appointed Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after serving concurrently as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing. Tim Coombs takes charge as Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026, having joined the console maker in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy. Earlier, he led product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard (2017) and Amazon Game Tech (until 2020). 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, culminating as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing.
He reflected, "It's not lost on me how special it's been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands. First Warhammer, and most recently Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers… the list goes on. I'm very much looking forward to my next chapter, whatever and wherever that may be." Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin previously produced two mobile titles at Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and spent five years at Riot Games developing creative assets for the League of Legends franchise.
Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games, after experience as User Acquisition Manager at Multicast Games and independent consulting for game growth and go‑to‑market strategies. Dan Lazarides is appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments. Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO of Frontier in January. Cooke praised him, stating, "We are delighted to welcome Dan to Frontier, who brings with him a wealth of experience on some of the industry's largest IP.
His leadership in this genre will continue Frontier's upward momentum, and his appointment to the role of CMO highlights our focus on our communities. Dan will be at the heart of our player‑first strategy, ensuring our publishing team champions player creativity and celebrates the way in which they play our games." Karen Ionescu takes the Digital Sales Manager role at Kalypso Media UK, after previous positions at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson commented, "We're delighted to welcome Karen to Kalypso Media UK.
She brings a wealth of commercial experience and long‑standing relationships across both retail and digital sales channels, making her a fantastic addition to the team." Hannah Barrett has been promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, having joined the firm as an Account Executive in December 2025. Supercell appoints Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously held the same title at Metacore for four years.
Nathan Solbrandt becomes Senior Vice President of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after roles as Senior Account Executive at Motorica and Vice President of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla. Olivia Lee is now Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, following a period as Associate Producer for internal events and programs.
Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator, after serving as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards. Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications.
Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009 as Director of Publications, later becoming Associate VP of Communications, before leaving in 2019 for EA. She said, "I'm looking forward to partnering with the talented people across Bethesda and Xbox, supporting the teams behind some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment, and helping bring their creativity and vision to players around the world." Maddie Richter is appointed Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a tenure as Social Media Manager at Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, having previously been Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment.
Yogscast Games announces three new hires: Charlotte Willis as PR and Influencer Manager (formerly Creator and Community Director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney as Production Coordinator (previously Junior Producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang as Publishing Coordinator (formerly Producer, Animator, and Artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and instructor 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 becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games.
He previously worked as Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision following a business‑development internship at the developer. Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games, after serving as Vice President, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product at Jam City for six years, as well as senior roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros.
Entertainment.