Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather all the noteworthy moves in one place. If you know of a colleague who has taken on a new role or left a position and you think it belongs in this list, please forward the individual's name, new title, new company, as well as their previous role and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Amir Satvat has been appointed as general manager at 1Up Ventures.
Before this, he spent several years at Tencent Games where he led business development initiatives. Satvat also founded and runs Always Supporting the Games Community (ASGC), an organization dedicated to helping job‑seekers find opportunities within the gaming field. "I wanted a role where I could see a direct link between the actions I take and the impact on a team, especially when that impact helps people get back to work," Satvat explained. "My goal has always been to turn more people's aspirations of creating games into reality.
I also wanted to work in an environment that supports smaller studios, because I have a genuine affection for indie‑scale projects, and I value a community‑first culture. "My final wish was to collaborate with colleagues who share the same values and integrity I strive for. Accepting 1Up's invitation feels like all those wishes are coming together," he added.
He continued, "1Up plays a crucial role in the broader games ecosystem, and I hope its distinctive approach to game investment endures for many years to come." Lasse Seppänen announced that he will leave Supercell after a seven‑year tenure. He joined the Finnish powerhouse in 2019 as a producer and later held senior positions such as head of game production services and general manager of Supercell London.
"Now it’s time for me to return to my passion for building new game IPs," Seppänen said. "I’ll stay in the UK, and in 2027 I plan to launch my own studio again – I’ll share more details when the timing is right." Take‑Two Interactive has named Giles Derrington as director of global affairs for the UK. Derrington previously served as head of public affairs for TikTok in the United Kingdom. Jess Pearce earned a promotion to senior people partner at Kepler Interactive.
Pearce originally joined Kepler in 2022 as a people advisor and moved up to people partner in 2024. Shreya Godha has been promoted to producer at PlaySimple Games, after previously serving as an associate producer with the same developer. Epic Games announced Kelly Ekins as its new director of communications.
Ekins comes from Unity, where she was senior director of global PR for the Games and Made with Unity program. Before Unity, Ekins joined the company in 2018 as the marketing lead for media and entertainment, following a stint at Warner Brothers Games Montreal where she led studio marketing and communications. Ilari Kuittinen, co‑founder and managing director of Housemarque, is stepping down after three decades with the studio.
Kuittinen helped launch Housemarque in 1995 alongside Harri Tikkanen after merging their respective companies, Bloodhouse and Terramarque. "Looking back, I feel immensely fortunate," Kuittinen reflected.
"We were in the right place at the right time for three decades of extraordinary industry growth, which allowed us to stay fiercely independent for 26 years before joining the PlayStation Studios family." "We have planned this leadership transition carefully behind the scenes. On July 1, Sami ‘Haxu’ Hakala officially took over as managing director, and I have continued to support him and the leadership team to ensure seamless operational continuity. 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 previously served as publishing general manager and began her career at Lion Studios in 2020 as the EMEA business development lead.
"I joined Lion six years ago," Feiman 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 that reach millions of players." "Lion has never been about any single individual. I’m fortunate to work with an incredible team across publishing, growth, product, engineering, and market intelligence, as well as our talented studio partners worldwide," she added.
Heather Sangria has taken on the role of community manager at Sega of America. Prior to this, she worked as a contract social strategist and community lead for One More Game and held a digital strategy and community manager position at Undead Labs. Emily Rose Chen has been promoted to senior product manager for Call of Duty at Activision Blizzard.
Chen originally joined the company in 2020 as a financial analyst before moving into product management. Scot McCarron has also advanced within Activision Blizzard, now serving as senior director of product management for Call of Duty.
McCarron first joined the firm in 2018 as a product marketing manager for emerging franchises and later became director of product management for the flagship series. These moves illustrate the dynamic nature of talent flow in the gaming industry, where seasoned veterans and emerging leaders alike continue to shape the future of interactive entertainment.
The combination of strategic hires, internal promotions, and entrepreneurial departures underscores how companies are constantly adapting to market trends, technological advances, and the ever‑evolving preferences of gamers worldwide. As studios and publishers navigate the challenges of scaling, innovation, and community engagement, the personnel changes highlighted above will likely influence product pipelines, partnership strategies, and the broader competitive landscape for years to come.