Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. To make it easier for industry professionals and enthusiasts alike, we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves.
If your organization has recent appointments or transitions you think belong in this list, please forward the individual's name, new title, company, as well as their previous role and employer 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 classic UK studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a broad perspective on both legacy and modern game development pipelines. "Ben is a genuine heavyweight in our field; his reputation and technical credibility speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "He understands game creation from the low‑level engine code right up to high‑level developer relations on the world’s biggest platforms.
Appointing Ben as CEO of The Performance Guys sends a crystal‑clear signal: if your title suffers from performance bottlenecks on any engine, you now have the most capable team on the planet ready to fix it." 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 studio’s debut title, The Plucky Squire, launched in September 2024 and earned praise for its whimsical art direction.
His return to the Pokémon franchise is being welcomed as a boost to the brand’s visual evolution. 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, where he contributed to a range of high‑profile projects. His portfolio showcases a strong command of sci‑fi and fantasy aesthetics, making him a valuable addition to Respawn’s creative engine.
Sam Duncombe has been named Brand Marketing Manager for Team17. Before joining, Duncombe spent time as Product Manager for games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery, where he oversaw cross‑media initiatives and brand‑centric campaigns.
Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, after a similar tenure at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). Her focus will be on nurturing talent, shaping workplace culture, and supporting the studio’s rapid growth. Christopher Wulf earned a promotion to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveler.
Wulf, who entered Fellow Traveler in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, bringing a wealth of partnership experience to his new role. 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, before moving into tabletop RPG production.
Alvaro Menéndez takes the title of International Social Lead at Mojang Studios. He previously served as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he helped shape global community strategies for titles such as Fortnite. 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‑design hierarchy.
Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. His most recent Epic role was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation.
"The scale of ambition and vision for what’s next at Paramount is incredibly exciting," Nanzer explained. "I’ve spent my career at the intersection of games, entertainment, and fandom, and the chance to help shape the future there was simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik steps into the position 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 overseeing digital and ad‑tech media operations. "After two years in the automotive sector, I’m 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 serving as a producer at Roarty Digital where she contributed to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite.
Aysu Kutbay has been appointed Product Manager at Grand Games, following a product‑management role at Rollic. David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey originally 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 licensing opportunities." Liana Murphy takes the role of Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage.
She most recently held dual responsibilities as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing. Tim Coombs is appointed 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 served as Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard in 2017 and later as Senior Product Marketing Manager and team lead for Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen leaves Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for digital gaming. His 23‑year career at Games Workshop culminated as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing. "It’s not lost on me how special it’s been to work on my favourite brands – Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers – and I look forward to my next chapter, wherever that may be," he reflected.
Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. Rubin previously produced two mobile titles for Netflix – Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset – and spent five years at Riot Games developing creative content for the League of Legends franchise. Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. He previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for the gaming sector.
Dan Lazarides is named Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke after she moved to the CEO role in January. Lazarides brings senior‑level experience from his previous position as SVP of Marketing at Sega Europe. "His leadership will continue Frontier’s upward momentum and underline our player‑first strategy," said CEO Jo Cooke. Karen Ionescu takes on the role of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK.
Ionescu’s background includes sales leadership at Numskull Games, as well as roles at Nintendo and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson commented, "She brings a wealth of commercial experience and long‑standing relationships across both retail and digital channels." Hannah Barrett has been promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining as an Account Executive in December 2025.
Supercell appoints Anni Pyy as Contract Manager. Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore.
Nathan Solbrandt becomes Senior Vice President of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD. He formerly worked as Senior Account Executive at Motorica and served as Vice President of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla. Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, after serving as Associate Producer for internal events and programs. Ciarah Pritchard takes the position of Account Coordinator at Xsolla, following a role 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 for EA in 2019. She says, "I’m excited to partner with the talented teams across Bethesda and Xbox to support some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment." Maddie Richter becomes Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after previously managing social media for Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, coming from a Senior Narrative Designer role at Series Entertainment.
Yogscast Games announces 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, former Producer/Animator/Artist at Team Gramps and Queensguard, and instructor at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger join 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, raising $3.5 million from Google and other investors.
"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 explained. Sathvik Sudireddy becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games. He previously served as Product Manager on Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at the developer.
Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games. Chard’s background includes a six‑year tenure as Vice President, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product at Jam City, plus senior roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment. These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of the games industry, where talent moves swiftly between studios, publishers, and related entertainment sectors, continually reshaping the creative and commercial landscape.