Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and role changes across the games sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather all the noteworthy movements in one place. If you know of any new appointments or transitions that belong in this list, please forward the individual's name, new title, new company, and previous position to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
In a major leadership shift, former Epic Games executive Ben Board has taken the helm 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, and BossAlien, giving him a deep‑rooted perspective on both classic and modern game development pipelines. “Myriad peers consider Ben a heavyweight in the industry, and his technical credibility speaks for itself,” said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group.
“He has seen game creation from every angle – from writing engine scripts to steering developer‑relations for the world’s largest platforms. Appointing Ben as CEO sends a clear signal: if a title suffers from performance bottlenecks on any engine, we have the most capable team on the planet to remedy it.” 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, The Plucky Squire, launched in September 2024 and earned praise for its inventive storytelling. His return to the Pokémon umbrella marks a homecoming for a designer whose visual style has helped define the franchise for years.
Billy King has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King’s previous experience includes leading concept work at ZeniMax Online Studios and serving as Senior Concept Artist for Amazon Games, where he contributed to a range of high‑profile titles.
His appointment is expected to strengthen Respawn’s visual direction as the studio expands its portfolio beyond the acclaimed Star Wars and Titanfall series. Other notable moves include: - Sam Duncombe, now Brand Marketing Manager at Team17, after a tenure as Product Manager – Games and Film at Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Cansu Karahan Can joining Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously held the same role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). - Christopher Wulf promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller, a company he joined in 2021 following senior business‑and‑event responsibilities at The Triple‑i Initiative. - Julie Derhak becoming a Producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast.
She spent seven years at Epic Games, where she worked on Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite crossover. - Alvaro Menéndez taking the post of International Social Lead at Mojang Studios after serving as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid.
- Linus Johnsson promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments; he entered Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since risen through the sound‑design ranks. - Nate Nanzer departing Epic Games after a seven‑year stint to become EVP, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer most recently held the SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation role at Epic.
He said, “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 appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Previously she led media, social, and analytics at Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she oversaw digital and ad‑tech media.
- Lorna Antoniazzi becoming Art Producer at Studio MDHR after producing for Roarty Digital on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. - Aysu Kutbay hired as Product Manager at Grand Games, previously a product manager at Rollic. - David Bailey returning to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing.
Bailey first joined Games Workshop in 2019, left in 2021 for 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.” - Liana Murphy named Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after serving simultaneously as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing. - Tim Coombs appointed Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
He previously directed brand management at Xbox (2020‑2026) and held product‑marketing roles for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech. - Erik Mogensen exiting Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for digital gaming. He spent 23 years at Games Workshop, most recently heading business development and consumer‑product licensing. - Ryan Rubin joining Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer.
Rubin’s background includes senior producer roles at Netflix (mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset) and five years at Riot Games on creative development for League of Legends. - Andrey Odintsov becoming Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games, after user‑acquisition work at Multicast Games and independent consulting. - Dan Lazarides taking the CMO seat at Frontier Developments.
He previously served as SVP of Marketing at Sega Europe and succeeds Jo Cooke, who moved to Frontier’s CEO role in January. Cooke praised Lazarides, noting his experience with large IPs and his focus on a player‑first strategy. - Karen Ionescu hired as Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK, bringing prior experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. - Hannah Barrett promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right.
- Anni Pyy appointed Contract Manager at Supercell after four years in the same capacity at Metacore. - Nathan Solbrandt named SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, following senior roles at Motorica and Xsolla.
- Olivia Lee becoming Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, after serving as associate producer for internal events and programs. - Ciarah Pritchard hired as Account Coordinator at Xsolla, previously an account performance manager at Playback Rewards.
- Tracey Thompson returning to Bethesda as VP of Communications. Thompson first joined Bethesda in 2009, left for EA in 2019, and now looks forward to supporting iconic franchises across Bethesda and Xbox.
- Maddie Richter named Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a stint as Social Media Manager for Alaska Airlines. - Dana Duffield joining Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, previously senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment. - Yogscast Games announcing three new hires: Charlotte Willis (PR & Influencer Manager, formerly Creator & Community Director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney (Production Coordinator, ex‑junior producer at Atelier 11) and Charlotte Pang (Publishing Coordinator, with a background in production, animation, and teaching at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone).
- Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger joining Roblox’s Foundation AI team to bolster 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.
- Sathvik Sudireddy hired as Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games, after product‑management work on Call of Duty at Activision. - Joe Chard appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games, following senior roles at Jam City, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Entertainment. These appointments illustrate the fluid nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment sector, where seasoned veterans and emerging leaders alike continue to reshape studios, publishers, and service providers worldwide.
The breadth of experience—from technical optimisation and brand strategy to narrative design and community engagement—highlights how companies are investing in specialized expertise to stay competitive in an increasingly complex market.