Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the games sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves. If your organization has experienced a staffing change that belongs in this list, please forward the name of the individual, their new title, the company they are joining, as well as their previous role and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. In a significant leadership shuffle, 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 iconic studios such as Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a broad perspective on both legacy and modern game development pipelines. "Ben is a true industry heavyweight whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," remarked Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group.
"He understands game creation from every angle – from writing engine scripts to managing developer relations for the world’s biggest platforms. Bringing Ben in as CEO of The Performance Guys sends an unmistakable message to the market: if your game suffers a performance issue on any engine, we have the best team on the planet to fix it." James Turner has re‑joined 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 alongside Jonathan Biddle; the studio’s debut title, The Plucky Squire, launched in September 2024 and earned praise for its whimsical storytelling and inventive mechanics. His return to the Pokémon umbrella signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand cohesion across the franchise’s expanding media footprint.
In another notable appointment, Billy King has been named lead concept artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously shaped visual concepts at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as senior concept artist for Amazon Games, where his work helped define the aesthetic of several high‑profile live‑service titles. At Respawn, he will be responsible for steering the visual language of upcoming projects, likely influencing everything from character design to environmental storytelling.
Team17 has added Sam Duncombe as its brand marketing manager. Duncombe arrives from Warner Bros.
Discovery, where he oversaw product management for games and film, bringing a cross‑media sensibility that should help Team17 amplify its indie‑focused catalogue in a crowded marketplace. Loom Games welcomed Cansu Karahan Can as its people and culture manager. Can previously performed the same function at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), where she championed employee well‑being and cultivated inclusive workplace practices.
Her expertise will be pivotal as Loom scales its development teams while maintaining a strong studio culture. Christopher Wulf earned a promotion to senior business development manager at Fellow Traveller. Wulf, who joined the firm in 2021, previously served as senior business and event manager for The Triple‑i Initiative, where he coordinated large‑scale gaming conventions and partnership deals. Julie Derhak has taken on the role of producer for Dungeons & Dragons at Wizards of the Coast.
Derhak spent seven years at Epic Games, contributing to Fortnite Tech Art and the Lego‑Fortnite crossover, giving her a solid background in large‑scale live‑service production and cross‑brand collaborations. Alvaro Menéndez has been appointed international social lead at Mojang Studios. Menéndez moves from a senior marketing manager position at Epic Games’ Madrid office, where he oversaw community engagement across multiple titles, to a role that will see him shape global social strategies for Minecraft and its sister properties.
Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to senior audio designer. Johnsson first joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and quickly progressed, contributing to the soundscapes of several of the studio’s flagship titles. After a seven‑year tenure 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.
He praised his former colleagues, stating, "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." Julia Gutnik has been named head of media at Amazon Gaming.
Gutnik previously led media, social, and analytics for Kia America and spent over six years within Amazon’s Prime Video and Studios divisions, where she headed digital and ad‑tech media initiatives. She expressed enthusiasm about returning to her entertainment roots after a stint in the automotive sector. Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as art producer. Antoniazzi’s prior experience includes a producer role at Roarty Digital, where she contributed to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite projects, giving her a strong foundation in managing art pipelines for large‑scale live titles.
Aysu Kutbay has become product manager at Grand Games, moving from a similar position at Rollic where she oversaw the lifecycle of several mobile hits. David Bailey returned to Games Workshop 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 comes back to help steer licensing for the ever‑expansive Warhammer universes. Liana Murphy was appointed account director for US operations at Second Stage.
Murphy previously held simultaneous COO and head‑of‑PR responsibilities at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a blend of operational and communications expertise. Tim Coombs now heads brand marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs spent the previous six years at Xbox, rising from senior manager for brand strategy to director of brand management before moving to Amazon, where he previously led product marketing for 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’s earlier 23‑year career at Games Workshop culminated in a head‑of‑business‑development and consumer‑product‑licensing role, allowing him to work on beloved franchises such as Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, and Transformers. Ryan Rubin joined Blizzard Entertainment as a senior producer.
Rubin’s background includes senior production work on Netflix mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, as well as a five‑year stint at Riot Games where he contributed to creative development for the League of Legends IP. Andrey Odintsov has been named head of marketing at Battlestate Games.
Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now operates as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for gaming projects. Dan Lazarides assumes the chief marketing officer role at Frontier Developments. Lazarides previously served as senior vice president of marketing for Sega Europe and steps into the CMO position following Jo Cooke’s promotion to CEO. Cooke praised Lazarides, noting his experience with major industry IPs and his focus on community‑first strategies.
Karen Ionescu was appointed digital sales manager at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu brings a wealth of experience from previous sales roles at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games, and will be responsible for expanding Kalypso’s digital distribution footprint.
Hannah Barrett earned a promotion to senior account executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, after joining the firm as an account executive in December 2025. Supercell hired Anni Pyy as contract manager; Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore.
Nathan Solbrandt became senior vice president of business development at fintech platform ZBD, after roles as senior account executive at Motorica and vice president of business development for the Americas at Xsolla. Olivia Lee was appointed internal events producer at Riot Games, building on her experience as associate producer for internal events and programs.
Ciarah Pritchard joined Xsolla as an account coordinator, having previously worked as an account performance manager at Playback Rewards. Tracey Thompson returned to Bethesda as vice president of communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, later moved to Electronic Arts in 2019, and now looks forward to supporting iconic franchises across Bethesda and Xbox.
Maddie Richter was named social media marketing manager for Nintendo of America, after serving as social media manager at Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joined Yotta Games as a narrative designer, following a senior narrative designer role at Series Entertainment.
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 experience as producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard, as well as teaching game design and animation). 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 now aim to push AI‑driven entertainment forward within Roblox. Sathvik Sudireddy joined Rockstar Games as marketing manager for live services, after serving as product manager on Call of Duty at Activision and completing a business‑development internship at Rockstar. Joe Chard was appointed lead product manager at Netflix Games, bringing experience as vice president, studio general manager, and head of product at Jam City, as well as senior 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 seasoned professionals continue to shape the future of games, media, and related technologies.