Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy movements. If you know of any recent appointments or role changes that belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company, as well as the previous position and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
Amir Satvat has taken on the role of general partner at 1Up Ventures. Before this, he spent several years at Tencent Games where he was the business development director, responsible for forging strategic partnerships and expanding the publisher's portfolio.
In addition to his corporate experience, Satvat founded and runs Always Supporting the Games Community (ASGC), an initiative that helps job‑seekers find positions across the industry. "I wanted a role where I could see a direct link between the decisions I make and the impact on a team, especially when that impact translates into people getting back to work," Satvat explained. "My goal has always been to help turn more creators' dreams of building games into reality.
I also wanted to work in an environment that champions smaller studios, because those projects are where my passion lies, and I value a community‑first culture above all else. "My final wish was to collaborate with colleagues who share the same values and integrity I hold dear. Accepting 1Up's invitation feels like all those wishes are finally coming together," he added. He continued: "1Up plays a vital role in the broader games ecosystem, and I hope its distinctive approach to investing in games endures for many years to come." Lasse Seppänen announced that he will leave Supercell after a seven‑year tenure.
He arrived at the Finnish studio in 2019 as a producer and later moved into senior positions, including head of game production services and general manager of Supercell London. "Now it's time to return to my passion for creating new IPs," Seppänen said.
"I’ll stay in the UK and plan to launch my own studio in 2027 – more details when the timing is right." Take‑Two Interactive has named Giles Derrington as its new director of global affairs for the UK. Derrington previously led public affairs for TikTok in the United Kingdom, where he oversaw government relations and policy engagement. Jess Pearce earned a promotion at Kepler Interactive, moving up to senior people partner. Pearce first joined Kepler in 2022 as a people advisor and was elevated to people partner in 2024, where she now oversees talent strategy across the organization.
Shreya Godha has been promoted to producer at PlaySimple Games after serving as an associate producer. In her new capacity she will take on full production responsibilities for upcoming titles. Epic Games appointed Kelly Ekins as director of communications. Ekins comes from Unity, where she was senior director of global public relations for the Games and Made with Unity program.
Prior to Unity, she spent time at Warner Brothers Games Montreal as studio lead for marketing and communications, and she originally joined Unity in 2018 as the marketing lead for media and entertainment. Ilari Kuittinen, co‑founder and managing director of Housemarque, stepped down after 31 years at the studio.
Kuittinen and Harri Tikkanen created Housemarque in 1995 by merging their companies Bloodhouse and Terramarque. Reflecting on his career, Kuittinen said, "Looking back, I feel immensely fortunate. We were in the right place at the right time for three decades of industry growth, which allowed us to stay fiercely independent for 26 years before joining the PlayStation Studios family." He added, "We have planned this leadership transition carefully behind the scenes.
On July 1, Sami ‘Haxu’ Hakala officially assumed the managing director role, and I have continued to support him and the leadership team to ensure operational continuity and stability. Housemarque’s strategy and creative vision are in excellent hands." Tamara Feiman has been appointed chief executive officer 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," she said.
"Since then I’ve had the privilege of growing alongside the company through its biggest successes, challenges and transformations. What makes Lion special is the way we collaborate with our partner studios. Together we take risks, learn quickly, and turn great ideas into games played by millions." "Lion has never been about one person.
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," Feiman continued. Heather Sangria has joined Sega of America as community manager.
Previously, she worked as a contract social strategist and community lead at One More Game and held a digital strategy and community manager role at Undead Labs. Emily Rose Chen received a promotion at Activision Blizzard, becoming senior product manager for Call of Duty.
Chen started at the company in 2020 as a financial analyst, later moving into product management before earning her current senior title. Scot McCarron also advanced within Activision Blizzard, now serving as senior director of product management for Call of Duty. McCarron originally joined Activision in 2018 as a product marketing manager for emerging franchises and later became director of product management on the Call of Duty series. These announcements illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement in the games industry, highlighting both seasoned veterans taking on new challenges and emerging leaders stepping into senior roles.
The continued flow of expertise across studios, publishers, and service providers underscores the sector’s resilience and its capacity for innovation as it heads into the next year.