Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the games sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish regular round‑ups that gather all the notable moves in one place. If your studio has recent staffing changes that belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, company, and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been appointed 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 took on after joining Epic in 2017 as developer‑support manager. Earlier in his career he held senior positions at classic UK studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead, and BossAlien, giving him a deep‑rooted perspective on both legacy and modern 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." In other news, 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 indie studio released its debut title, The Plucky Squire, in September 2024.
His return to the Pokémon franchise signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand consistency across the global franchise. Billy King has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously led concept teams at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as Senior Concept Artist for Amazon Games, bringing a wealth of experience in creating high‑impact visual designs for live‑service and AAA titles. Team 17 announced Sam Duncombe as its new Brand Marketing Manager.
Duncombe comes from Warner Bros. Discovery, where he was Product Manager for games and film, and will now steer Team 17’s brand strategy across its diverse portfolio of indie hits. Loom Games welcomed Cansu Karahan Can as People and Culture Manager. Can previously performed the same function at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she helped shape organisational culture and talent development initiatives.
Fellow Traveller promoted Christopher Wulf to Senior Business Development Manager. Wulf, who joined the company in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as Senior Business and Event Manager, and will now focus on expanding Fellow Traveller’s partnership network. Wizards of the Coast added Julie Derhak to its Dungeons & Dragons team as a Producer. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite crossover, and will now bring that production expertise to the tabletop‑gaming arena.
Mojang Studios named Alvaro Menéndez International Social Lead. Menéndez arrives from Epic Games Madrid, where he was Senior Marketing Manager, and will oversee community engagement for Minecraft’s worldwide audience. Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to Senior Audio Designer.
Johnsson joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since risen through the ranks, now shaping the soundscapes of titles such as Elite Dangerous and Planet Coaster. After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departed to become EVP, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation. He remarked, "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." Amazon Gaming appointed Julia Gutnik as Head of Media. Gutnik previously led media, social, and analytics for Kia America, and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios as Head of Digital and AdTech Media. She said, "After two years navigating the auto industry, I am returning to my entertainment roots, and to the place that shaped me into a global marketing leader." Studio MDHR hired Lorna Antoniazzi as Art Producer.
Antoniazzi formerly worked at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, and will now support the visual pipeline for titles like Cuphead. Grand Games added Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager. Kutbay moves from Rollic, where she oversaw product strategy for several mobile hits.
David Bailey returned to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey first joined Games Workshop in 2019 as Senior Licensing Manager, 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.
It's an incredible opportunity and it's great to be back in the fold working alongside great people." Second Stage appointed Liana Murphy as Account Director for US Operations. Murphy previously served simultaneously as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing. Amazon Luna announced Tim Coombs as Head of Brand Marketing. Coombs came from Xbox, where he was Director of Brand Management until July 2026, after joining in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy.
He also held product marketing roles for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen exited Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for digital gaming. Mogensen spent 23 years at Games Workshop, most recently as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing, and reflected, "It's not lost on me how special it's been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands. First Warhammer, and most recently Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Transformers… the list goes on.
I'm very much looking forward to my next chapter, whatever and wherever that may be." Blizzard Entertainment welcomed Ryan Rubin as Senior Producer. Rubin previously produced two mobile titles at Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and spent five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends IP. Battlestate Games named Andrey Odintsov Head of Marketing.
Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for games. Frontier Developments announced Dan Lazarides as Chief Marketing Officer. Lazarides joins from Sega Europe, where he was Senior Vice President of Marketing, and replaces Jo Cooke, who moved to the CEO role in January.
Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised the hire, noting that Lazarides will “be at the heart of our player‑first strategy, ensuring our publishing team champions player creativity and celebrates the way in which they play our games.” Kalypso Media UK appointed Karen Ionescu as Digital Sales Manager. Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson said, "We're delighted to welcome Karen to Kalypso Media UK. She brings a wealth of commercial experience and long‑standing relationships across both retail and digital sales channels, making her a fantastic addition to the team." Swipe Right promoted Hannah Barrett to Senior Account Executive.
Barrett joined the esports and gaming communications agency in December 2025 as an Account Executive. Supercell named Anni Pyy as Contract Manager. Pyy previously held the same role at Metacore for four years. Fintech platform ZBD hired Nathan Solbrandt as SVP of Business Development.
Solbrandt came from Motorica (Senior Account Executive) and Xsolla (Vice President of Business Development for the Americas). Riot Games added Olivia Lee as Internal Events Producer. Lee previously served as Associate Producer for internal events and programs. Xsolla appointed Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator.
Pritchard previously worked as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards. Bethesda welcomed back Tracey Thompson as Vice President of Communications.
Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, progressed to Associate VP of Communications, left for EA in 2019, and now returns, saying, "I'm looking forward to partnering with the talented people across Bethesda and Xbox, supporting the teams behind some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment, and helping bring their creativity and vision to players around the world." Nintendo of America hired Maddie Richter as Social Media Marketing Manager. Richter previously managed social media for Alaska Airlines.
Yotta Games added Dana Duffield as Narrative Designer. Duffield came from Series Entertainment, where she was Senior Narrative Designer. 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 past roles as Producer, Animator, and Artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, and teaching stints at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Roblox’s Foundation AI team welcomed Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger 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. Holm remarked, "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." Rockstar Games appointed Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager, Live Services.
Sudireddy previously managed product for Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar. Netflix Games named Joe Chard as Lead Product Manager. Chard’s background includes a six‑year tenure as Vice President, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product at Jam City, as well as senior product roles at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment industry, highlighting how experience from one studio often fuels innovation at another.