Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the games sector can be a real challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy moves. If your organization has recent staffing changes that belong in this list, please forward the 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 leadership positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a broad perspective on both classic and contemporary game development. "Ben is a genuine heavyweight in the industry, with a reputation and technical authority that speak for themselves," remarked Myke Parrot, CEO of CodeDev Group.
"He has seen game creation from every angle – from writing engine scripts to overseeing developer relations for the world’s largest platforms. Appointing Ben as CEO of The Performance Guys sends a clear signal to publishers and studios: if your title suffers from performance issues on any engine, we have the most capable team on the planet to fix it." In other news, 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, a venture that released its debut title, The Plucky Squire, in September 2024. His return marks a homecoming for a designer who has helped shape the visual language of the franchise for years. Billy King has been named Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment. King previously headed concept art at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, bringing a wealth of experience in crafting imaginative worlds for both AAA and live‑service titles.
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‑centric campaigns. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously filled the same role at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion). Her expertise in talent development and organisational culture is expected to strengthen Loom’s growing team.
Christopher Wulf receives a promotion to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveller, a company he joined in 2021 after serving as Senior Business and Event Manager for The Triple‑i Initiative. Julie Derhak steps into 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 collaboration, giving her a solid background in large‑scale production pipelines. Alvaro Menéndez becomes International Social Lead at Mojang Studios.
Before this, he was Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he managed global community initiatives and influencer programs. Linus Johnsson is promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments. Johnsson first joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since progressed through the ranks, contributing to the sound design of several high‑profile titles. After seven years at Epic Games, Nate Nanzer departs to assume the position of 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 ambition and vision for what’s next is incredibly exciting. My career has always sat at the intersection of games, entertainment, and fandom, and the chance to help shape Paramount’s future was simply too compelling to pass up." Julia Gutnik takes the helm as Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Gutnik previously 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 strategies.
She noted, "After two years in the auto sector, I’m returning to my entertainment roots and the place that shaped me into a global marketing leader." Lorna Antoniazzi is appointed Art Producer at Studio MDHR, following a role as Producer at Roarty Digital where she contributed to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite. Aysu Kutbay joins Grand Games as Product Manager after a successful stint at Rollic. David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey originally joined Games Workshop in 2019 as Senior Licensing Manager, left in 2021 to become Director of Business Affairs at Sumo Digital, and now says, "It’s a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new licensing opportunities." Liana Murphy becomes Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage, after serving simultaneously as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing.
Tim Coombs is named Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna. Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026 and held product marketing roles 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.
His prior 23‑year career at Games Workshop culminated in heading business development and consumer product licensing. He reflected, "It’s not lost on me how special it’s been to work on my favourite brands – Warhammer, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic, Transformers – and I look forward to the next chapter wherever it leads." Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Producer, bringing experience from Netflix where he produced mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, as well as five years at Riot Games on League of Legends creative development.
Andrey Odintsov becomes Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games after work as User Acquisition Manager at Multicast Games and consulting independently on growth and go‑to‑market strategies. Dan Lazarides is appointed Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments, succeeding Jo Cooke, who moved to the CEO role. Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe. Frontier’s CEO Jo Cooke praised the hire, stating that Lazarides will drive a player‑first strategy and champion community‑driven creativity.
Karen Ionescu takes the role of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK, after roles at Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games. Managing Director Andrew Johnson said her extensive retail and digital sales background makes her a strong addition. Hannah Barrett is promoted to Senior Account Executive at esports and gaming communications agency Swipe Right, having joined as an Account Executive in December 2025. Supercell appoints Anni Pyy as Contract Manager; Pyy previously held the same position at Metacore for four years.
Nathan Solbrandt becomes Senior Vice President 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, after serving as Associate Producer for internal events and programs. Ciarah Pritchard joins Xsolla as Account Coordinator, following a role as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards. Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as Vice President of Communications.
Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, rose to Associate VP of Communications, left for EA in 2019, and now says, "I’m excited to partner with talented teams across Bethesda and Xbox to support iconic franchises and bring creators’ visions to players worldwide." Maddie Richter becomes Social Media Marketing Manager at Nintendo of America, after a tenure as Social Media Manager at Alaska Airlines. Dana Duffield joins Yotta Games as Narrative Designer, having previously been Senior Narrative Designer at Series Entertainment. Yogscast Games announces 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 (previously Producer, Animator, and 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, and said, "At Jars AI we saw hundreds of thousands of creators use AI to shape new worlds and stories, and we’re excited to keep pushing the boundaries of AI entertainment in our new roles." Sathvik Sudireddy becomes Marketing Manager, Live Services at Rockstar Games, after product management on Call of Duty at Activision and an internship in business development at Rockstar. Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games, following senior leadership positions at Jam City, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
This extensive list reflects the dynamic nature of talent movement across the industry, highlighting how experience from major publishers, independent studios, and even non‑gaming sectors continues to enrich the ecosystem.