Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, departures, and promotions in the video‑game sector can be a real challenge, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy movements. If you know of a change that belongs in this list—whether it’s a new appointment, a role shift, or a departure—please email the relevant details (name, new title, 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 charge of business development for the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine. His résumé also includes senior leadership stints at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios, and BossAlien, giving him a rare blend of technical depth and commercial savvy. "Ben is a true industry heavyweight 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 other news, 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 inventive storytelling. His return to the Pokémon franchise signals a renewed focus on artistic direction and brand cohesion. Respawn Entertainment announced the appointment of Billy King as its new Lead Concept Artist. King arrives from ZeniMax Online Studios, where he led concept work, and previously held a senior concept role at Amazon Games.
His experience across large‑scale live‑service titles and narrative‑driven projects is expected to enrich Respawn’s visual pipeline. Team17 has named Sam Duncombe as Brand Marketing Manager. Duncombe moves from Warner Bros.
Discovery, where he oversaw product strategy for games and film, and will now steer Team17’s brand initiatives across its diverse portfolio of indie and mid‑tier titles. Loom Games welcomed Cansu Karahan Can as People and Culture Manager.
Can transitions from Stoikk (formerly Kompanion), bringing a strong background in talent development and organisational culture to the growing studio. Fellow Traveler promoted Christopher Wulf to Senior Business Development Manager.
Wulf, who joined the firm in 2021 after a senior role at The Triple‑i Initiative, will continue to drive partnership growth and event strategy. Wizards of the Coast 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, and now brings that production expertise to the tabletop giant.
Mojang Studios named Alvaro Menéndez International Social Lead. Menéndez previously served as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, and will now shape global community engagement for Minecraft and related properties. Frontier Developments promoted Linus Johnsson to Senior Audio Designer. Johnsson, who joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer, has progressed to a senior role, enhancing the studio’s sound design across titles such as Elite Dangerous and Planet Coaster.
After a seven‑year tenure at Epic, Nate Nanzer departed to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. Nanzer’s most recent Epic role was SVP of Partnerships and Monetisation.
He remarked, "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 announced Julia Gutnik as Head of Media.
Gutnik returns to Amazon after two years at Kia America, having previously led media, social, and analytics for Prime Video and Amazon Studios, and overseeing digital and ad‑tech initiatives. Studio MDHR appointed Lorna Antoniazzi as Art Producer. Antoniazzi comes from Roarty Digital, where she contributed to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, and will now help shepherd the visual development of titles like Cuphead. Grand Games added Aysu Kutbay as Product Manager, after a product‑management role at Rollic.
Kutbay will oversee live‑ops and feature pipelines for Grand Games' mobile portfolio. Games Workshop welcomed back David Bailey as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing.
Bailey originally joined the company in 2019, left in 2021 for a director role at Sumo Digital, and now returns to steer licensing for the Warhammer universe. Second Stage hired Liana Murphy as Account Director for U.S.
operations. Murphy previously held dual roles as COO and Head of PR at Vicariously and V Publishing, bringing extensive agency experience to the role. Amazon Luna named Tim Coombs Head of Brand Marketing.
Coombs moves from Xbox, where he served as Director of Brand Management until July 2026, and has a history with Amazon Game Tech dating back to 2017. Erik Mogensen exited Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for digital gaming. Mogensen’s prior 23‑year career at Games Workshop included heading business development and consumer‑product licensing for Warhammer and other flagship brands.
Blizzard Entertainment added Ryan Rubin as Senior Producer. Rubin’s background includes senior production on Netflix mobile titles Squid Game: Unleashed and Selling Sunset, as well as five years at Riot Games working on League of Legends creative development. Battlestate Games appointed Andrey Odintsov as Head of Marketing.
Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now consults independently on growth and go‑to‑market strategies for games. Frontier Developments announced Dan Lazarides as Chief Marketing Officer.
Lazarides, formerly SVP of Marketing at Sega Europe, replaces Jo Cooke, who moved to the CEO role. Frontier CEO Jo Cooke praised Lazarides, saying his expertise will reinforce the studio’s player‑first strategy.
Kalypso Media UK hired Karen Ionescu as Digital Sales Manager. Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo, and Rising Star Games, and will manage both retail and digital distribution channels. Swipe Right promoted Hannah Barrett to Senior Account Executive. Barrett joined the esports and gaming communications agency in December 2025 and has quickly risen through the ranks.
Supercell named Anni Pyy as Contract Manager, after four years in a similar role at Metacore. Fintech platform ZBD appointed Nathan Solbrandt as SVP of Business Development.
Solbrandt previously worked at Motorica and Xsolla, where he was VP of Business Development for the Americas. Riot Games added Olivia Lee as Internal Events Producer, following her work as associate producer for internal programs. Xsolla hired Ciarah Pritchard as Account Coordinator.
Pritchard previously served as Account Performance Manager at Playback Rewards. Bethesda welcomed back Tracey Thompson as VP of Communications. Thompson originally joined Bethesda in 2009, left for EA in 2019, and now returns to oversee communications across the studio’s flagship franchises.
Nintendo of America appointed Maddie Richter as Social Media Marketing Manager. Richter transitions from Alaska Airlines, where she managed social channels.
Yotta Games added Dana Duffield as Narrative Designer. Duffield previously held a senior narrative role at Series Entertainment. Yogscast Games announced three new hires: Charlotte Willis (PR and Influencer Manager, formerly at Diva Agency), Robin Mawhinney (Production Coordinator, previously junior producer at Atelier 11), and Charlotte Pang (Publishing Coordinator, with a background in production, animation, and teaching at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Roblox’s Foundation AI team welcomed Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger to support the Build AI creation tool for mobile.
The duo co‑founded Jars AI in 2023 and raised $3.5 million from Google and other investors. Rockstar Games appointed Sathvik Sudireddy as Marketing Manager, Live Services. Sudireddy previously managed product for Call of Duty at Activision after an internship in business development. Netflix Games named Joe Chard as Lead Product Manager.
Chard’s prior experience includes VP, Studio General Manager, and Head of Product at Jam City, as well as senior roles at Disney and Warner Bros.