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 capture the most noteworthy moves. If you know of a change that belongs in this list—new appointments, internal shifts, or notable exits—please forward the details (name, new role, company, and previous position) to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. In a major leadership change, 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 developer‑support manager. Earlier in his career he held senior positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios and BossAlien, giving him a broad perspective on both legacy and modern game development pipelines. "Ben is a true industry heavy‑hitter whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "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." 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 received praise for its inventive mechanics and whimsical art style. His return signals Pokémon’s continued investment in fresh visual direction while maintaining the franchise’s iconic aesthetic. Billy King steps into the role of lead concept artist at Respawn Entertainment.
King previously headed concept work at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as senior concept artist for Amazon Games, contributing to a range of high‑profile projects. His experience with large‑scale, narrative‑driven environments should bolster Respawn’s upcoming titles, which are expected to push visual boundaries. Other notable moves include: - Sam Duncombe, now brand‑marketing manager at Team17, after a tenure as product manager for games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Cansu Karahan Can, people‑and‑culture manager at Loom Games, previously in the same capacity at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). - Christopher Wulf, promoted to senior business‑development manager at Fellow Traveler; he joined the firm in 2021 after serving as senior business and event manager for The Triple‑i Initiative. - Julie Derhak, appointed producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, where she contributed to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite crossover.
- Alvaro Menéndez, now international social lead at Mojang Studios, formerly senior marketing manager for Epic Games in Madrid. - Linus Johnsson, promoted to senior audio designer at Frontier Developments, having risen from graduate audio designer when he joined in 2022. - Nate Nanzer, leaving Epic after seven years to become executive vice‑president, head of commercial & marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was SVP of partnerships and monetisation.
He commented, "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, named head of media at Amazon Gaming after leading media, social and analytics for Kia America and holding senior digital and ad‑tech positions at Prime Video and Amazon Studios.
- Lorna Antoniazzi, appointed art producer at Studio MDHR; she previously produced at Roarty Digital, where she worked on Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. - Aysu Kutbay, product manager at Grand Games, after a product‑management role 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, account director for US operations at Second Stage, after serving simultaneously as COO and head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing.
- Tim Coombs, head of brand marketing for Amazon Luna, previously director of brand management at Xbox (2020‑2026) and product‑marketing lead 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, senior producer at Blizzard Entertainment, previously senior producer at Netflix where he oversaw mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, and five years at Riot Games on League of Legends creative development. - Andrey Odintsov, head of marketing at Battlestate Games, formerly user‑acquisition manager at Multicast Games and now an independent growth consultant. - Dan Lazarides, chief marketing officer at Frontier Developments, after serving as senior vice‑president of marketing at Sega Europe. Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised his appointment, noting his experience with major IPs and his focus on a player‑first strategy.
- Karen Ionescu, digital sales manager at Kalypso Media UK, bringing prior experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo and Rising Star Games. - Hannah Barrett, senior account executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, promoted after joining as account executive in December 2025. - Anni Pyy, contract manager at Supercell, after four years in the same capacity at Metacore. - Nathan Solbrandt, SVP of business development at fintech platform ZBD, previously senior account executive at Motorica and VP of business development for the Americas at Xsolla.
- Olivia Lee, internal events producer at Riot Games, formerly associate producer for internal events and programs. - Ciarah Pritchard, account coordinator at Xsolla, after a stint as account performance manager at Playback Rewards. - Tracey Thompson, returning to Bethesda as vice‑president of communications. Thompson first joined Bethesda in 2009, left for EA in 2019, and now says she looks forward to supporting iconic franchises across Bethesda and Xbox.
- Maddie Richter, social media marketing manager at Nintendo of America, previously social media manager at Alaska Airlines. - Dana Duffield, narrative designer at Yotta Games, after senior narrative designer work at Series Entertainment.
- 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 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 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, and expressed enthusiasm for pushing AI entertainment forward.
- Sathvik Sudireddy, marketing manager for live services at Rockstar Games, after product‑manager work on Call of Duty at Activision and an internship in business development at Rockstar. - Joe Chard, lead product manager at Netflix Games, previously VP, studio general manager and head of product at Jam City, with senior roles at Disney and Warner Bros. These appointments illustrate the fluid nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment industry, where expertise in development, marketing, licensing and community engagement is constantly reshuffled to meet evolving market demands. The influx of seasoned leaders into new roles often signals strategic shifts for the companies involved, whether that means bolstering performance optimisation capabilities, expanding creative direction, or strengthening brand and community outreach.
As the sector heads toward the next wave of hardware, AI‑driven tools and cross‑media experiences, the people behind the projects become as crucial as the technology itself.