Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task. To help industry professionals stay informed, we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves.
If you know of a change that should be featured—whether it’s a new appointment, a promotion, or a departure—please forward the relevant details (name, new role, company, and previous position) 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 classic studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead, and BossAlien. "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 a separate move, James Turner has rejoined 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 earned praise for its inventive storytelling and hand‑drawn aesthetic. His return to the Pokémon franchise signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand consistency across the global product line.
Respawn Entertainment also announced a new lead concept artist, Billy King. King arrives from ZeniMax Online Studios, where he headed concept art, and previously served as senior concept artist at Amazon Games.
His portfolio includes work on large‑scale multiplayer titles and cinematic key‑art, positioning him to shape the visual language of upcoming Respawn projects. Team17 named Sam Duncombe its new brand‑marketing manager. Duncombe comes from Warner Bros. Discovery, where he managed product initiatives across both games and film, bringing a cross‑media perspective that should help Team17 broaden its audience reach.
People‑and‑culture leadership saw Cansu Karahan Can move to Loom Games as its new manager of people and culture, after a stint at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). Can’s experience in building inclusive workplace frameworks will be instrumental as Loom expands its indie‑focused development pipeline. At Fellow Traveller, Christopher Wulf earned a promotion to senior business‑development manager. Wulf, who joined the firm in 2021, previously held senior business and event‑management responsibilities at The Triple‑i Initiative, and will now focus on forging strategic partnerships for Fellow Traveller’s emerging titles.
Wizards of the Coast welcomed Julie Derhak as a producer for the Dungeons & Dragons line. Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite collaboration, experience that should enhance the tabletop giant’s digital‑first initiatives. Mojang Studios appointed Alvaro Menéndez as its international social lead.
Menéndez transitions from a senior marketing manager role at Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global community campaigns for flagship titles. Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to senior audio designer.
Johnsson, who joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer, has quickly risen through the ranks, contributing to the soundscapes of several high‑profile releases. After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departed to become executive vice‑president and head of commercial & marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was senior vice‑president of partnerships and monetisation.
"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." Amazon Gaming named Julia Gutnik its new head of media.
Gutnik previously led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years at Prime Video and Amazon Studios, where she directed digital and ad‑tech media strategies. "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," she explained.
Studio MDHR added Lorna Antoniazzi as art producer. Antoniazzi previously produced at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, and will now help shepherd the visual development of future MDHR titles. Grand Games hired Aysu Kutbay as product manager, following her product‑management tenure at Rollic, where she oversaw live‑ops and monetisation for several mobile hits. Games Workshop announced the return of David Bailey 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 returns to steer licensing for the expansive Warhammer universe. "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," he remarked. Second Stage appointed Liana Murphy as account director for US operations.
Murphy most recently held dual roles as COO and head of public relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, bringing operational and communications expertise to the agency. Amazon Luna named Tim Coombs head of brand marketing. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and held product‑marketing leadership positions for Amazon Lumberyard and Amazon Game Tech, giving him a deep understanding of both console and cloud‑gaming branding.
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, culminating as head of business development and consumer‑product licensing. He 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 added Ryan Rubin as senior producer. Rubin previously produced two mobile titles for Netflix—Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset—and spent five years at Riot Games working on creative development for the League of Legends franchise. Battlestate Games appointed Andrey Odintsov as head of marketing.
Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for the gaming sector. Frontier Developments announced Dan Lazarides as chief marketing officer.
Lazarides comes from Sega Europe, where he served as senior vice‑president of marketing, and replaces Jo Cooke, who moved to Frontier’s CEO role in January. "We are delighted to welcome Dan to Frontier, who brings with him a wealth of experience on some of the industry's largest IP," said CEO Jo Cooke.
Kalypso Media UK hired Karen Ionescu as digital sales manager. Ionescu previously managed sales at Numskull Games and has held roles at Nintendo and Rising Star Games.
Managing director Andrew Johnson praised her "wealth of commercial experience and long‑standing relationships across both retail and digital sales channels." Swipe Right promoted Hannah Barrett to senior account executive. Barrett joined the esports and gaming communications agency in December 2025 as an account executive and has quickly advanced to a senior client‑facing role. Supercell named Anni Pyy as contract manager after four years in the same capacity at Metacore, where she oversaw publishing agreements and developer relations.
Fintech platform ZBD appointed Nathan Solbrandt as senior vice‑president of business development. Solbrandt previously worked as senior account executive at Motorica and served as vice‑president of business development for the Americas at Xsolla.
Riot Games added Olivia Lee as internal events producer, following her prior role as associate producer for internal programs and events. Xsolla hired Ciarah Pritchard as account coordinator; she previously worked as an 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 in 2019 for EA, and now returns to oversee messaging for the studio’s flagship franchises.
Nintendo of America appointed Maddie Richter as social media marketing manager. Richter transitions from a social media manager role at Alaska Airlines, bringing fresh consumer‑engagement tactics to Nintendo’s North American audience.
Yotta Games added narrative designer Dana Duffield, who previously served as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment, to strengthen storytelling across its upcoming titles. Yogscast Games announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis as PR and influencer manager (formerly creator and community director at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney as production coordinator (formerly junior producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang as publishing coordinator (with a background as producer, animator, and educator at Team Gramps, Queensguard, 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, raising $3.5 million from Google and other investors, and aim to push the boundaries of AI‑driven entertainment. Rockstar Games hired Sathvik Sudireddy as marketing manager for live services. Sudireddy previously managed product on Call of Duty at Activation after an internship in business development at the developer. Netflix Games named Joe Chard as lead product manager.
Chard’s background includes a vice‑president role, studio general‑manager duties, and head‑of‑product responsibilities at Jam City, plus senior positions at Disney and Warner Bros. Their extensive product expertise will guide Netflix’s growing gaming portfolio. These movements illustrate the dynamic nature of talent circulation within the gaming ecosystem, where seasoned veterans and emerging leaders alike continue to shape the future of interactive entertainment.