Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge. That’s why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather all the notable moves in one place.
If your studio has staff changes that belong in this list, please forward the person’s name, new title, new company, and previous role 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 positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a broad perspective on game creation and technology. "Ben is a true heavyweight in the industry; his reputation and technical expertise speak for themselves," said Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group. "He knows game development from every angle – from writing engine scripts to managing developer relations for the world’s biggest platforms.
Bringing Ben on as CEO sends a clear signal: if your title is suffering from performance issues 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 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.
Billy King has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously led concept work at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as senior concept artist for Amazon Games, bringing a strong portfolio of sci‑fi and fantasy visual design to his new role. Sam Duncombe moves to Team17 as Brand Marketing Manager after a tenure as Product Manager – Games and Film at Warner Bros. Discovery, where he oversaw cross‑media initiatives and brand alignment.
Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously performed the same function at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). Her focus will be on nurturing talent and building an inclusive studio environment.
Christopher Wulf receives a promotion to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveler. Wulf, who entered the firm in 2021, previously worked for The Triple‑i Initiative as senior business and event manager. 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 collaboration, before moving to tabletop gaming. Alvaro Menéndez is appointed International Social Lead at Mojang Studios. He comes from Epic Games in Madrid, where he served as Senior Marketing Manager, and will oversee global community engagement for Minecraft and related titles. Linus Johnsson advances to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments.
Johnsson joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since progressed to lead the studio’s sound‑design efforts. Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after seven years to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. His most recent Epic role was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation.
"The scale of ambition here is incredibly exciting," Nanzer said. "I've spent my career at the intersection of games, entertainment, and fandom, and the chance to shape what comes next at Paramount was simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik takes the helm as 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, where she managed digital and ad‑tech media. Lorna Antoniazzi becomes Art Producer at Studio MDHR, after previously producing at Roarty Digital on projects such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. Aysu Kutbay is hired as Product Manager at Grand Games, following a product‑management role at Rollic. David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing.
Bailey originally joined Games Workshop in 2019, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now looks forward to expanding the Warhammer licensing portfolio. Liana Murphy steps into the role of Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage.
She most recently held the dual titles of 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 (2020‑2026) and held product‑marketing leadership positions 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. Before that, he spent 23 years at Games Workshop, culminating as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing.
Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer. His background includes senior production roles at Netflix (Squid Game: Unleashed, Selling Sunset) and five years at Riot Games working on League of Legends creative development. Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games, after user‑acquisition work at Multicast Games and independent consulting for game launches.
Dan Lazarides is named Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke. Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and will drive Frontier’s player‑first strategy. Karen Ionescu takes the position of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK, bringing experience 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.
Supercell appoints Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; she previously held the same title at Metacore for four years. Nathan Solbrandt becomes SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD, after senior account work at Motorica and a VP 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 for EA in 2019, and now looks forward to supporting iconic franchises across Bethesda and Xbox.
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/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, raising $3.5 million from Google and other investors.
Sathvik Sudireddy becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games, after product‑management work on Call of Duty at Activision. 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.