Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the gaming sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we put together periodic round‑ups that capture the most notable moves in the industry.
If you know of any recent appointments or role changes that belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company, and previous position 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’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 leadership positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a breadth of experience that spans both classic and modern development environments.
"Ben is a genuine heavyweight in our field – his reputation and technical credibility are second‑to‑none," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "He has seen game creation from every angle, whether it’s writing engine scripts or overseeing developer relations for the world’s biggest platforms.
Appointing Ben as CEO sends a clear signal: if your title suffers from performance bottlenecks on any engine, we have the most capable team on the planet to resolve them." In other news, James Turner has rejoined The Pokémon Company International 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 earned praise for its inventive mechanics and charming aesthetics. 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 helped shape visual identities for several high‑profile projects.
Sam Duncombe moves into the role of brand marketing manager at Team17. Before joining, he was product manager for games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery, where he oversaw cross‑media campaigns and helped launch several successful titles. Cansu Karahan Can has taken the position of people and culture manager at Loom Games.
Can previously fulfilled the same responsibilities at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), focusing on talent development and organisational health. Christopher Wulf earned a promotion to senior business development manager at Fellow Traveller. Wulf, who joined the company in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager, bringing a strong network of industry contacts. Julie Derhak is now a producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast.
She spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite collaboration, before moving to the tabletop giant. Alvaro Menéndez has become international social lead at Mojang Studios. Menéndez’s most recent role was senior marketing manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he directed global social strategies.
Linus Johnsson was promoted to senior audio designer at Frontier Developments. Johnsson joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since advanced to a senior position, contributing to the soundscapes of titles such as Planet Coaster and Elite Dangerous. Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to assume the role of EVP, head of commercial & marketing at Paramount Games. At Epic, Nanzer’s most recent titles were senior vice‑president of partnerships and monetisation.
"The ambition and vision for what comes next at Paramount are incredibly exciting," Nanzer said. "My career has always sat at the crossroads of games, entertainment, and fandom, and this opportunity was simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik steps in as head of media at Amazon Gaming. Prior to this, she 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 initiatives.
"After two years in the automotive sector, I’m returning to my entertainment roots and to the place that shaped me into a global marketing leader," Gutnik explained. Lorna Antoniazzi becomes art producer at Studio MDHR, after previously producing at Roarty Digital on projects like Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite.
Aysu Kutbay has been appointed product manager at Grand Games, following a product‑management role at Rollic where she oversaw mobile‑first titles. David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as lead commercial manager – licensing.
Bailey originally joined Games Workshop in 2019 as senior licensing manager, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now says, "It’s a privilege to return to the vast Warhammer universes and help drive new licensing opportunities." Liana Murphy takes on the position of account director, US operations at Second Stage, after serving concurrently as COO and head of public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing. Tim Coombs is appointed head of brand marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026, having joined the console maker in 2020 as senior manager for brand strategy. Earlier, he led product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard (2017) and later senior product marketing for Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen exits Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as senior director of business development for digital gaming. His 23‑year stint at Games Workshop concluded as head of business development and consumer product licensing.
"Working on my favourite brands – Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers – has been a dream," Mogensen reflected. Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as senior producer.
Rubin previously produced two shipped mobile titles at Netflix – Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset – and spent five years at Riot Games developing creative content for the League of Legends franchise. Andrey Odintsov becomes head of marketing at Battlestate Games. He previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant. Dan Lazarides is named chief marketing officer at Frontier Developments.
Lazarides formerly served as senior vice‑president of marketing at Sega Europe and steps into the role following Jo Cooke’s promotion to CEO. "Dan brings a wealth of experience from some of the industry’s biggest IPs and will help drive our player‑first strategy," Cooke said. Karen Ionescu takes the digital sales manager role at Kalypso Media UK, after sales positions at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing director Andrew Johnson praised her extensive commercial background and strong retailer relationships.
Hannah Barrett has been promoted to senior account executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining as an account executive in December 2025. Supercell appoints Anni Pyy as contract manager; Pyy previously held the same role at Metacore for four years.
Nathan Solbrandt becomes senior vice‑president of business development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior account work at Motorica and a vice‑president role at Xsolla for the Americas. Olivia Lee is hired as internal events producer at Riot Games, having previously coordinated internal programs and events. Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as account coordinator, after serving as account performance manager at Playback Rewards.
Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as vice‑president of communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left in 2019 for EA, and now says, "I look forward to partnering with the talented teams across Bethesda and Xbox to support iconic franchises and bring their vision to players worldwide." Maddie Richter becomes social media marketing manager at Nintendo of America, after a stint as social media manager for Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as narrative designer, following senior narrative work at Series Entertainment. Yogscast Games announces 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, formerly producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and instructor at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone).
Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger join 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 and raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors.
"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," Holm said. Sathvik Sudireddy becomes marketing manager, live services at Rockstar Games, after product‑management work on Call of Duty at Activision and a business‑development internship at the studio. Joe Chard is appointed lead product manager at Netflix Games, following senior leadership roles at Jam City, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros.
Entertainment. These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement within the video‑game ecosystem, highlighting how experience across platforms, studios, and even adjacent industries continues to shape the future of interactive entertainment.