Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves across studios, publishers, and service providers.
If you know of a transition that deserves a mention—whether it’s a new appointment, a promotion, or an exit—please forward the relevant details (name, new title, new organization, plus previous role and company) to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Amir Satvat has taken on the role of general partner at 1Up Ventures. Before joining the venture‑capital firm, Satvat spent several years as the business‑development director for Tencent Games, where he helped shape partnership strategies and expand the publisher’s global footprint.
In addition to his corporate experience, he founded and runs Always Supporting the Games Community (ASGC), a platform dedicated to helping aspiring professionals locate jobs within the industry. "I wanted a position where the impact of my decisions would be felt directly by a team and, ultimately, by the people who get hired," Satvat explained. "My goal has always been to turn more developers' dreams of creating games into reality, and I felt that working with smaller studios—games I’m personally passionate about—would let me do that. I also wanted to be part of an organization that puts community first." He continued, "Joining 1Up feels like the perfect alignment of those aspirations.
The firm is a pivotal player in the gaming ecosystem, and I hope to help preserve its distinctive investment philosophy for as long as possible." Lasse Seppänen announced that he will be leaving Supercell after a seven‑year tenure. He started at the Finnish powerhouse in 2019 as a producer and later assumed senior responsibilities, including head of game‑production services and general manager of Supercell London. "It’s time for me to return to my original passion—creating new IPs," Seppänen said.
He plans to stay in the United Kingdom and aims to launch his own studio in 2027, promising more details when the timing is right. Take‑Two Interactive has named Giles Derrington as its director of global affairs for the United Kingdom.
Derrington previously led public affairs for TikTok in the UK, where he managed regulatory relationships and government engagement. At Kepler Interactive, Jess Pearce received a promotion to senior people partner. Pearce joined Kepler in 2022 as a people advisor and moved into the people‑partner role in 2024, now overseeing talent strategy across the growing publisher.
PlaySimple Games elevated Shreya Godha to the position of producer after she served as associate producer on several of the company’s titles. Epic Games announced the appointment of 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 began her Unity career in 2018 as the marketing lead for media and entertainment.
Housemarque co‑founder and managing director Ilari Kuittinen is stepping down after an impressive 31‑year run. Kuittinen co‑founded the studio in 1995 alongside Harri Tikkanen, following the merger of their earlier companies Bloodhouse and Terramarque.
"Reflecting on three decades, I feel incredibly fortunate," Kuittinen said. "We were in the right place at the right time, which allowed us to stay independent for 26 years before joining PlayStation Studios." He added, "The leadership transition has been carefully planned. On July 1, Sami ‘Haxu’ Hakala officially assumed the managing‑director role, and I have continued to support him and the rest of the leadership team to ensure a smooth handover.
Housemarque’s creative vision remains in capable hands." Tamara Feiman has been promoted to 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 and have watched the company navigate massive successes, challenges, and transformations," Feiman remarked. "What makes Lion special is our collaborative approach with partner studios—we take risks together, learn quickly, and turn great concepts into games that reach millions." She continued, "Lion’s strength lies in its people.
I’m privileged to work with an outstanding team across publishing, growth, product, engineering, and market intelligence, as well as our talented studio partners worldwide." Sega of America welcomed Heather Sangria as its community manager. Sangria previously worked as a contract social‑strategy consultant and community lead at One More Game and held a digital‑strategy and community‑manager role at Undead Labs.
Activision Blizzard promoted Emily Rose Chen to senior product manager for the Call of Duty franchise. Chen began her career at the company in 2020 as a financial analyst, later moving into product management before earning this senior title. In a similar vein, Scot McCarron was elevated to senior director of product management for Call of Duty at Activision Blizzard.
McCarron joined the firm in 2018 as a product‑marketing manager for emerging franchises and has since progressed through the product‑management hierarchy. These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of the games industry, where talent constantly shifts to meet evolving market demands and creative ambitions.
The continued flow of experienced leaders into new roles ensures fresh perspectives and sustained innovation across development studios, publishers, and ancillary service providers.