Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the games sector can be a real challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most notable moves. If you know of any recent appointments or role changes that belong in this list, 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’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 leadership positions at iconic studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead, and BossAlien, giving him a broad perspective on both classic and contemporary game development. "Ben is a genuine heavyweight in our industry, with a reputation and technical authority that speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group.
"He understands game creation from the low‑level engine code to the high‑level developer‑relations work that powers the world’s biggest platforms. Appointing Ben as CEO of The Performance Guys sends a crystal‑clear signal: if your title is suffering from performance bottlenecks on any engine, you’re dealing with the most capable team on the planet." In other news, James Turner has re‑joined 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 inventive mechanics and whimsical art style.
His return to the Pokémon franchise is being hailed as a homecoming for a designer whose visual sensibilities have shaped the brand for years. Billy King has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously headed concept art at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, where his work helped define the visual language of several high‑profile live‑service titles. Sam Duncombe moves into the role of Brand Marketing Manager at Team17, after a tenure as Product Manager for games and film at Warner Bros.
Discovery. In this capacity he will oversee brand strategy for classic franchises such as Worms while exploring new cross‑media opportunities. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager. Can’s prior experience includes a similar role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she championed employee wellbeing and diversity initiatives across a distributed development team.
Christopher Wulf has been promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveler. Wulf, who entered the firm in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, bringing a strong network of partnership contacts to his new position. 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 crossover, before transitioning to tabletop RPG production where she will help steer future D&D releases. Alvaro Menéndez takes on the role of International Social Lead at Mojang Studios. Menéndez previously served as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw social campaigns for titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League. Linus Johnsson has been elevated to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments.
Johnsson joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since contributed to the soundscapes of titles like Elite Dangerous and Planet Coaster. After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s Epic portfolio includes senior vice‑president responsibilities for partnerships and monetisation.
"The scale of ambition and vision for what's next at Paramount is incredibly exciting," Nanzer said. "I've spent my career at the intersection of games, entertainment, and fandom, and the chance to help shape the next chapter is simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik steps into the position of Head of Media at Amazon Gaming.
Before this, she led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she managed digital and ad‑tech media operations. "After two years in the auto sector, I'm returning to my entertainment roots and to the company that shaped me into a global marketing leader," Gutnik explained. Lorna Antoniazzi has been appointed Art Producer at Studio MDHR, following a producer role at Roarty Digital where she worked on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. She will now help shepherd the artistic direction of titles such as Cuphead and its upcoming sequel.
Aysu Kutbay joins Grand Games as Product Manager, after previously serving in the same capacity at Rollic, where she oversaw the launch of several successful mobile titles. 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 to become Director of Business Affairs at Sumo Digital, and now comes back to help drive new licensing opportunities across the Warhammer universe. "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer worlds and help spearhead fresh business for licensing here," he said.
Liana Murphy becomes Account Director for US Operations at Second Stage. Murphy previously held simultaneous COO and Head of PR roles at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong background in agency‑level client management. Tim Coombs is named Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026, after joining Microsoft in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy. Earlier, he served as Product Marketing Manager for Amazon Lumberyard (2017) and later as Senior Product Marketing Manager and Team Lead for Amazon Game Tech until April 2020. Erik Mogensen exits Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for digital gaming.
Mogensen spent 23 years at Games Workshop, most recently as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing, overseeing collaborations for Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Transformers. "It's not lost on me how special it’s been to work on my favourite brands," he reflected, adding that he looks forward to his next chapter wherever it may lead. Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer.
Rubin previously held senior producer roles at Netflix, where he helped ship mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, and spent five years at Riot Games developing creative content for the League of Legends IP. Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games.
Odintsov 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 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 Frontier CEO in January. Cooke praised the hire, noting that Lazarides’ experience with large IPs will reinforce Frontier’s player‑first strategy.
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.
Managing Director Andrew Johnson highlighted her extensive retail and digital channel relationships. 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 names Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore. Nathan Solbrandt becomes SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior account work at Motorica and a vice‑president role in business development for the Americas at Xsolla.
Olivia Lee is appointed Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, building on her experience as Associate Producer for internal events and programs. Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator, having formerly been 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 now looks forward to supporting iconic franchises across Bethesda and Xbox. Maddie Richter becomes Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a stint as Social Media Manager at Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, following senior narrative work 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 (with a background as producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, plus teaching experience 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, 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 said. Sathvik Sudireddy is now Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games.
Sudireddy previously managed product on Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar. Joe Chard becomes 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. These appointments reflect a vibrant and fluid talent market within the interactive entertainment industry, where seasoned veterans and emerging leaders alike continue to reshape the creative and commercial landscape of games worldwide.