Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the gaming sector can be a daunting task. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather all the noteworthy moves in one place.
If you know of any recent appointments or role changes that belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company, as well as the previous position and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. **Ben Board Takes the Helm at The Performance Guys** 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 resume 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 positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a broad perspective on both classic and modern game development pipelines.
"Ben is a true industry heavyweight whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," remarked CodeDev Group founder and CEO Myke Parrot. "He understands game development from every angle – from writing 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 Returns to The Pokémon Company International** James Turner has re‑joined 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 storytelling and hand‑drawn aesthetic.
His return to the Pokémon umbrella signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand cohesion across the franchise’s expanding media portfolio. **Billy King Becomes Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment** Respawn Entertainment announced the appointment of Billy King as its new lead concept artist. King previously guided visual development at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as senior concept artist for Amazon Games, where he contributed to several high‑profile live‑service projects.
His expertise in character design and environmental art is expected to bolster Respawn’s upcoming titles, including the next installment of the *Titanfall* series. **Additional Highlights from the August 2026 Round‑Up** - **Sam Duncombe** steps into the role of Brand Marketing Manager at Team 17, after a tenure as Product Manager – Games and Film at Warner Bros.
Discovery. - **Cansu Karahan Can** joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, bringing experience from a similar position at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). - **Christopher Wulf** is promoted to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller, a company he’s been with since 2021 following a senior role at The Triple‑i Initiative.
- **Julie Derhak** becomes 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 crossover. - **Alvaro Menéndez** takes on the International Social Lead role at Mojang Studios after serving as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid.
- **Linus Johnsson** advances to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments, having joined the studio in 2022 as a graduate audio designer. - **Nate Nanzer** departs Epic Games after a seven‑year stretch to assume the EVP, Head of Commercial & Marketing position at Paramount Games. He previously held the SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation title at Epic. "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." - **Julia Gutnik** is named Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Prior to this, she led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios overseeing digital and ad‑tech media. - **Lorna Antoniazzi** becomes Art Producer at Studio MDHR, after producing at Roarty Digital on titles such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. - **Aysu Kutbay** is appointed Product Manager at Grand Games, previously holding the same title at Rollic.
- **David Bailey** returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. He originally joined the company in 2019, left in 2021 for a director role at 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** steps in as Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after serving concurrently as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing. - **Tim Coombs** is appointed Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
He previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and held product marketing roles for Amazon Lumberyard and 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 career at Games Workshop culminated as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing.
- **Ryan Rubin** joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. His background includes senior production work at Netflix on mobile titles *Squid Game: Unleashed* and *Selling Sunset*, as well as five years at Riot Games on creative development for the League of Legends IP. - **Andrey Odintsov** becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games, after experience as User Acquisition Manager at Multicast Games and independent consulting. - **Dan Lazarides** takes the CMO seat at Frontier Developments, following a senior vice‑president role at Sega Europe.
Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised his track record, noting that his leadership will reinforce the studio’s "player‑first" strategy. - **Karen Ionescu** is hired as Digital Sales Manager for Kalypso Media UK, bringing prior sales leadership from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games.
- **Hannah Barrett** is promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining as an account executive in December 2025. - **Anni Pyy** becomes Contract Manager at Supercell, previously holding the same role at Metacore for four years.
- **Nathan Solbrandt** is named SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior roles at Motorica and Xsolla. - **Olivia Lee** joins Riot Games as Internal Events Producer, having previously coordinated internal programs for the same studio. - **Ciarah Pritchard** takes on the Account Coordinator position at Xsolla, 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 for EA in 2019, and now looks forward to supporting iconic franchises across Bethesda and Xbox. - **Maddie Richter** is appointed 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 & 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 in production, animation, and teaching at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). - **Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger** join Roblox’s Foundation AI team to help develop 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. - **Sathvik Sudireddy** becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games, after product management experience on *Call of Duty* at Activision.
- **Joe Chard** is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games, bringing former senior leadership roles from Jam City, Disney, and Warner Bros. This extensive list underscores the dynamic nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment industry, illustrating how seasoned professionals continue to shape the future of games, media, and related technologies.