Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most notable personnel changes. If your organisation has news about a new appointment or a transition that belongs 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 named chief executive officer of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group. Board first joined Epic in 2017 as a developer support manager before moving on to become business development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine.
His résumé also includes senior leadership positions at classic studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien. "Ben is a true industry heavy‑hitter whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said CodeDev Group founder Myke Parrot. "He understands game development from every angle – from writing 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." James Turner has re‑joined The Pokémon Company International, taking the helm 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 first title, The Plucky Squire, launched in September 2024 and earned praise for its inventive storytelling and hand‑drawn aesthetic. His return to Pokémon signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand consistency across the franchise’s expanding media portfolio.
Billy King has been appointed lead concept artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously led concept teams at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as senior concept artist for Amazon Games, where he contributed to several high‑profile live‑service projects. His expertise in character design and environmental illustration is expected to bolster Respawn’s upcoming titles, including the next installment of the Apex Legends universe. Sam Duncombe steps into the role of brand marketing manager at Team 17.
Before joining the UK‑based publisher, Duncombe worked as product manager for games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery, where he oversaw cross‑platform campaigns for blockbuster franchises.
At Team 17, he will be responsible for shaping the public perception of classic IPs such as Worms and new indie releases alike. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as people and culture manager.
Can previously held the same title at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she built inclusive workplace programs and led talent‑development initiatives across multiple studios. Her mandate at Loom Games includes strengthening employee engagement and fostering a creative environment that supports the studio’s focus on narrative‑driven experiences.
Christopher Wulf has been promoted to senior business development manager at Fellow Traveller. Wulf first arrived at the company in 2021 after a stint as senior business and event manager for The Triple‑i Initiative.
In his new capacity, he will spearhead partnership negotiations and expand the firm’s portfolio of immersive travel‑themed games. Julie Derhak is now a producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, where she contributed to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite crossover. Her deep understanding of live‑service pipelines and community‑driven content will be instrumental in delivering fresh D&D digital experiences.
Alvaro Menéndez takes on the role of international social lead at Mojang Studios. Previously a senior marketing manager for Epic Games in Madrid, Menéndez brings a wealth of experience in global community management and influencer strategy, which he will apply to growing the reach of Minecraft and its expanding ecosystem. Linus Johnsson has been elevated to senior audio designer at Frontier Developments. Johnsson joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and quickly progressed to a full‑time designer role.
His promotion reflects his contributions to the soundscapes of titles such as Elite Dangerous and the upcoming Jurassic World game. After a seven‑year tenure at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to become executive vice‑president, head of commercial & marketing at Paramount Games.
Nanzer’s most recent position at Epic was senior vice‑president of partnerships and monetisation. "The scale of the 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 opportunity to help build what comes next at Paramount was simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik is appointed head of media at Amazon Gaming. Gutnik previously led media, social, and analytics for Kia America, and earlier served as head of digital and ad‑tech media at Prime Video and Amazon Studios for over six years. "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 explained.
Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as art producer. Antoniazzi formerly worked at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, and brings a strong background in coordinating art pipelines for large‑scale live‑service games. Aysu Kutbay becomes product manager at Grand Games after a successful product‑management stint at Rollic, where she helped launch several top‑grossing mobile titles across Asia and Europe.
David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as lead commercial manager – licensing. Bailey originally joined the company in 2019 as senior licensing manager, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now comes back to help steer licensing opportunities for the ever‑expanding Warhammer universes. "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," he remarked.
Liana Murphy is named account director for US operations at Second Stage. Murphy previously served simultaneously as chief operating officer and head of public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, where she oversaw multi‑channel campaigns for indie and mid‑tier developers. Tim Coombs assumes the position of head of brand marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs spent the previous six years at Xbox, most recently as director of brand management, after joining the division in 2020 as senior manager for brand strategy.
Earlier in his career he held product marketing roles for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen exits Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming. Mogensen’s prior 23‑year tenure at Games Workshop culminated in a role as head of business development and consumer product licensing, where he managed partnerships for Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Transformers.
Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as senior producer. Rubin previously held senior producer roles at Netflix, where he oversaw mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, and spent five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends franchise. Andrey Odintsov becomes head of marketing at Battlestate Games.
Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for a range of gaming projects. Dan Lazarides is appointed chief marketing officer at Frontier Developments.
Lazarides brings senior vice‑president of marketing experience from Sega Europe and steps into the role following Jo Cooke’s promotion to CEO. "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," Cooke said. Karen Ionescu takes the role of digital sales manager at Kalypso Media UK.
Ionescu’s background includes sales management at Numskull Games, as well as positions at Nintendo and Rising Star Games, giving her a broad perspective on both retail and digital distribution channels. Hannah Barrett has been promoted to senior account executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining the firm in December 2025 as an account executive. Supercell appoints Anni Pyy as contract manager.
Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, overseeing legal and vendor agreements for mobile titles. Nathan Solbrandt becomes senior vice‑president of business development at fintech platform ZBD. Solbrandt’s earlier experience includes senior account executive work at Motorica and a vice‑president role for business development at Xsolla covering the Americas.
Olivia Lee is hired as internal events producer at Riot Games, building on her prior experience as associate producer for internal events and programs within the studio. Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as account coordinator after serving as account performance manager at Playback Rewards, where she helped optimise affiliate and partnership revenue streams.
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 Electronic Arts in 2019. "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," she said. Maddie Richter is named social media marketing manager at Nintendo of America, after previously managing social channels for Alaska Airlines.
Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as a narrative designer. Duffield’s most recent role was senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment, where she crafted storylines for narrative‑driven mobile experiences. 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 (previous junior producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang as publishing coordinator (former producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, as well as an instructor at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger have been added to 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 to develop interactive AI platforms for creators. Sathvik Sudireddy joins Rockstar Games as marketing manager for live services, after serving as product manager on Call of Duty at Activision and completing a business‑development internship at Rockstar. Joe Chard is appointed lead product manager at Netflix Games. Chard previously held the vice‑president, studio general manager, and head of product positions at Jam City for six years, and has held senior roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros.
Entertainment. These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement across the global gaming ecosystem, highlighting how experience from one studio often fuels innovation at another and how senior leaders continue to shape the future of interactive entertainment.