Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions and departures in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task. That’s why we publish regular round‑ups that gather the most noteworthy personnel changes in one place. If your studio has recent appointments or internal moves that you think belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, new company and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
One of the headline announcements this month is the elevation of former Epic Games executive Ben Board to chief executive officer of The Performance Guys, the optimisation arm of CodeDev Group. Board first joined Epic in 2017 as a developer‑support manager, later taking on the role of business‑development director for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine. His résumé also includes senior leadership positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios and BossAlien, giving him a rare blend of technical depth and commercial savvy. "Ben is a true industry heavy‑hitter whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said CodeDev Group founder Myke Parrot.
"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 another significant move, 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 whimsical art direction.
His return to Pokémon signals a renewed focus on visual innovation within the franchise’s global brand. Respawn Entertainment announced the appointment of Billy King as its lead concept artist. King arrives from ZeniMax Online Studios, where he led concept work, and previously served as senior concept artist at Amazon Games. His portfolio includes a range of sci‑fi and fantasy environments that should dovetail nicely with Respawn’s upcoming projects.
Team17 has named Sam Duncombe its new brand‑marketing manager. Duncombe comes from Warner Bros. Discovery, where he oversaw product‑management duties across both games and film, bringing cross‑media expertise to the veteran UK publisher.
Loom Games welcomes Cansu Karahan Can as people‑and‑culture manager. Can previously held the same title at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she helped shape a supportive workplace culture for a growing indie studio. Fellow Traveller promotes Christopher Wulf to senior business‑development manager. Wulf, who joined Fellow Traveller in 2021 after a stint as senior business and event manager at The Triple‑i Initiative, now leads the company’s expansion efforts.
Wizards of the Coast has 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 collaboration, experience that will be valuable for the tabletop‑gaming giant’s digital initiatives. Mojang Studios appoints Alvaro Menéndez as international social lead.
Menéndez previously worked as senior marketing manager for Epic Games in Madrid, giving him a strong background in community engagement for globally recognised brands. Frontier Developments promotes Linus Johnsson to senior audio designer. Johnsson joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since advanced to a senior role, contributing to the studio’s acclaimed soundscapes.
After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to become executive vice‑president, head of commercial & marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was senior vice‑president of partnerships and monetisation. He said, "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 names Julia Gutnik head of media. Gutnik transitions from Kia America, where she oversaw media, social and analytics, and brings over six years of experience from Prime Video and Amazon Studios, including leadership of digital and ad‑tech media.
Studio MDHR adds Lorna Antoniazzi as art producer. Antoniazzi previously produced at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, and will now help steer the visual direction of titles such as Cuphead.
Grand Games appoints Aysu Kutbay as product manager. Kutbay moves from Rollic, where she managed product pipelines for mobile titles, and will oversee Grand Games' upcoming releases. Games Workshop welcomes back David Bailey as lead commercial manager – licensing. Bailey originally joined in 2019 as senior licensing manager, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now returns to help drive new licensing opportunities for the Warhammer universe.
Second Stage names Liana Murphy account director for US operations. Murphy previously held dual roles as COO and head of public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong operational background. Amazon Luna announces Tim Coombs as head of brand marketing. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and has a history with Amazon’s game‑tech divisions, including product marketing for Lumberyard and Game Tech.
Erik Mogensen exits 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 reflects on his tenure with affection for iconic brands such as Warhammer and Dungeons & Dragons. Blizzard Entertainment adds Ryan Rubin as senior producer.
Rubin comes from Netflix, where he produced mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, and previously spent five years at Riot Games working on creative development for League of Legends. Battlestate Games appoints Andrey Odintsov head of marketing. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth consultant for gaming projects.
Frontier Developments hires Dan Lazarides as chief marketing officer. Lazarides, formerly senior vice‑president of marketing at Sega Europe, replaces Jo Cooke following her promotion to CEO. Frontier’s CEO Jo Cooke praised his genre‑wide experience and his focus on player‑first strategies. Kalypso Media UK appoints Karen Ionescu digital sales manager.
Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo and Rising Star Games, and is expected to strengthen Kalypso’s retail and digital distribution channels. Swipe Right promotes Hannah Barrett to senior account executive.
Barrett joined the esports and gaming communications agency in December 2025 and has quickly moved up the ranks. Supercell names Anni Pyy contract manager.
Pyy previously held the same role at Metacore for four years, handling legal and partnership agreements for mobile titles. Fintech platform ZBD adds Nathan Solbrandt as senior vice‑president of business development. Solbrandt’s background includes senior account work at Motorica and a vice‑president role at Xsolla covering the Americas.
Riot Games brings Olivia Lee on board as internal events producer, after serving as associate producer for internal programs and events. Xsolla hires Ciarah Pritchard as account coordinator.
Pritchard previously worked as an account performance manager at Playback Rewards. Bethesda welcomes back Tracey Thompson as vice‑president of communications.
Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left in 2019 for EA, and now returns to help shape messaging for flagship franchises. Nintendo of America appoints Maddie Richter social media marketing manager.
Richter transitions from Alaska Airlines, where she managed social channels, to oversee Nintendo’s community engagement. Yotta Games adds narrative designer Dana Duffield. Duffield previously served as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment, bringing strong storytelling expertise to Yotta’s upcoming projects.
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, with prior experience as producer, animator and educator at Team Gramps, Queensguard and Submarine Art School). Roblox’s Foundation AI team expands with Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger, co‑founders of Jars AI, an interactive AI platform that raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors. Their mission is to push the boundaries of AI‑driven entertainment on Roblox’s mobile‑first creation tool Build. Rockstar Games adds Sathvik Sudireddy as marketing manager for live services.
Sudireddy previously managed product development for Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development at Rockstar. Netflix Games names Joe Chard lead product manager. Chard’s résumé includes a vice‑president stint, studio general‑manager duties and head‑of‑product responsibilities at Jam City, plus senior roles at Disney and Warner Bros. These appointments, promotions and departures illustrate the fluid nature of talent movement across the global gaming ecosystem, highlighting how experience in one segment—whether console, mobile, streaming or AI—continues to enrich other areas of the industry.
The cross‑pollination of expertise ensures that studios can adapt to evolving technologies and player expectations, while also providing career pathways for professionals seeking new challenges.