Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions and departures across the video‑game sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most notable movements. If you know of a change at your studio that belongs in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company and previous role 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 first joined Epic in 2017 as a developer support manager before moving into business development for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine. Earlier in his career he held senior positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios and BossAlien, giving him a deep‑rooted understanding of both classic and modern development pipelines.
"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 coding 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." In a separate move, James Turner has re‑joined The Pokémon Company International as creative director of Pokémon Art and Design. Turner 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 storytelling. His return to Pokémon signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand consistency across the franchise’s expanding media portfolio. Respawn Entertainment announced the appointment of Billy King as lead concept artist.
King arrives from ZeniMax Online Studios, where he served as lead concept artist, and previously held a senior concept role at Amazon Games. His portfolio includes work on large‑scale live‑service titles and a reputation for delivering high‑impact visual concepts that shape a game’s aesthetic from the earliest stages. Team17 has added Sam Duncombe as brand marketing manager. Duncombe’s most recent position was product manager for games and film at Warner Bros.
Discovery, where he oversaw cross‑platform marketing campaigns and coordinated film‑related tie‑ins. At Team17 he will be responsible for amplifying the company’s indie‑focused brand and driving engagement across digital and community channels.
Loom Games welcomed Cansu Karahan Can as people and culture manager. Can previously held the same title at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she championed employee wellbeing initiatives and helped scale the studio during a period of rapid growth.
Her expertise in talent development and organisational design is expected to strengthen Loom’s internal culture as it expands its portfolio of narrative‑driven experiences. Fellow Traveller promoted Christopher Wulf to senior business development manager. Wulf joined the company in 2021 after a stint as senior business and event manager at The Triple‑i Initiative, where he coordinated large‑scale industry events and forged strategic partnerships.
In his new role he will focus on expanding Fellow Traveller’s reach into new markets and securing collaborations with leading developers. Wizards of the Coast named Julie Derhak as a producer for Dungeons & Dragons.
Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego Fortnite crossover, before moving into tabletop production. Her blend of live‑service expertise and tabletop knowledge positions her to bridge the gap between digital and tabletop experiences for the iconic D&D brand. Mojang Studios appointed Alvaro Menéndez as international social lead.
Menéndez previously served as senior marketing manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw community growth for titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League. At Mojang he will guide global social strategy for Minecraft, focusing on creator engagement and community‑driven content. Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to senior audio designer. 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.
His promotion reflects Frontier’s commitment to delivering immersive audio experiences across its diverse portfolio. After a seven‑year tenure at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departed to become executive vice‑president, head of commercial & marketing at Paramount Games.
Nanzer’s most recent Epic role 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." Amazon Gaming announced Julia Gutnik as head of media. Gutnik previously led media, social and analytics at Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she directed digital and ad‑tech media strategies. She returns to her entertainment roots, eager to apply her cross‑industry expertise to Amazon’s growing gaming division. Studio MDHR added Lorna Antoniazzi as art producer.
Antoniazzi came from Roarty Digital, where she produced work on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, bringing valuable experience in managing art pipelines for high‑visibility live‑service projects. Grand Games appointed Aysu Kutbay as product manager. Kutbay previously managed products at Rollic, where she helped launch several successful mobile titles and refined monetisation frameworks. At Grand Games she will oversee product strategy and lifecycle management for upcoming releases.
David Bailey returned to Games Workshop as lead commercial manager – licensing. Bailey first 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 steward the Warhammer brand’s extensive licensing portfolio. "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," he remarked. Second Stage named Liana Murphy account director, US operations.
Murphy previously served as COO and head of public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong background in operational leadership and media relations that will support Second Stage’s expansion in the North American market. Amazon Luna promoted Tim Coombs to head of brand marketing. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and held product marketing roles for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech.
His experience with cloud‑based gaming platforms will be instrumental in shaping Luna’s brand narrative. Erik Mogensen exited Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming. Mogensen’s prior 23‑year career at Games Workshop included heading business development and consumer product licensing, giving him a rare perspective on both tabletop and digital ecosystems. Blizzard Entertainment welcomed Ryan Rubin as senior producer.
Rubin previously produced two mobile titles for Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and spent five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends franchise. His cross‑platform production experience will bolster Blizzard’s live‑service initiatives. Battlestate Games appointed Andrey Odintsov as head of marketing.
Odintsov formerly managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant, bringing a data‑driven approach to promoting Battlestate’s titles. Frontier Developments announced Dan Lazarides as chief marketing officer. Lazarides arrived from Sega Europe, where he was senior vice‑president of marketing, and succeeds Jo Cooke, who moved to the CEO role in January. Cooke praised Lazarides, noting his track record with major IPs and his focus on player‑first strategies that align with Frontier’s community‑centric ethos.
Kalypso Media UK hired Karen Ionescu as digital sales manager. Ionescu’s background includes sales roles at Numskull Games, Nintendo and Rising Star Games, equipping her with a broad network across retail and digital distribution channels.
Swipe Right promoted Hannah Barrett to senior account executive. Barrett joined the esports and gaming communications agency in December 2025 and has quickly demonstrated the ability to manage high‑profile client relationships.
Supercell named Anni Pyy contract manager. Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore, where she oversaw contractual negotiations for mobile releases.
Fintech platform ZBD appointed Nathan Solbrandt as senior vice‑president of business development. Solbrandt’s earlier positions include senior account executive at Motorica and vice‑president of business development for the Americas at Xsolla. Riot Games added Olivia Lee as internal events producer. Lee’s prior role as associate producer for internal events and programs gave her insight into fostering company culture through well‑crafted experiences.
Xsolla hired Ciarah Pritchard as account coordinator. Pritchard formerly worked as account performance manager at Playback Rewards, where she optimized client outcomes and reporting. Bethesda welcomed back Tracey Thompson as vice‑president of communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, progressed to associate VP of communications, left for EA in 2019, and now returns to guide communications for some of the industry’s most iconic franchises.
Nintendo of America appointed Maddie Richter as social media marketing manager. Richter transitioned from a social media manager role at Alaska Airlines, bringing fresh perspectives on audience engagement.
Yotta Games added narrative designer Dana Duffield. Duffield previously served as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment, where she crafted storylines for narrative‑driven mobile games. Yogscast Games announced 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, with experience as producer, animator and artist at Team Gramps and Queensguard, plus teaching roles at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Roblox’s Foundation AI team welcomed Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger to support the Build in New Zealand mobile‑first AI creation tool.
The duo co‑founded Jars AI in 2023, raising $3.5 million from Google and other investors. Holm said, "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." Rockstar Games hired Sathvik Sudireddy as marketing manager, live services. Sudireddy previously managed product development for Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar. Netflix Games appointed Joe Chard as lead product manager.
Chard’s background includes serving as vice‑president, studio general manager and head of product at Jam City for six years, as well as senior product roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment. These appointments, promotions and departures illustrate the fluid nature of talent movement within the gaming ecosystem, highlighting how experience from one sector—whether console, mobile, tabletop or streaming—continues to cross‑pollinate and drive innovation across the industry.