Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions and departures across the games sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy movements. If your organisation has recent staffing changes that belong in this list, please forward the name, new title, company and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Former Epic Games executive Ben Board has been appointed 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 both the Epic Game Store and Unreal Engine.
His résumé also includes senior leadership positions at Bullfrog Productions, Lionhead Studios and BossAlien, giving him a breadth of experience that spans from hands‑on engine scripting to high‑level developer relations. "Ben is a true industry heavy‑hitter whose reputation and technical authority speak for themselves," said CodeDev Group CEO 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." 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 with Jonathan Biddle; the studio released its debut title, The Plucky Squire, in September 2024. His return marks a homecoming to the franchise he helped shape for many years. Billy King steps into the role of Lead Concept Artist at Respawn Entertainment.
King previously led concept teams at ZeniMax Online Studios and served as a senior concept artist for Amazon Games, bringing a strong portfolio of sci‑fi and fantasy visual development to his new position. Sam Duncombe has been named Brand Marketing Manager at Team 17, after a stint as Product Manager for games and film at Warner Bros. Discovery.
In his new role, Duncombe will oversee brand strategy and cross‑media initiatives for the UK‑based developer and publisher. Cansu Karahan Can joins Loom Games as People and Culture Manager, having previously held the same title at Stoikk (formerly Kompanion).
Her focus will be on talent acquisition, employee wellbeing and fostering an inclusive studio environment. Christopher Wulf earned a promotion to Senior Business Development Manager at Fellow Traveler. Wulf first joined Fellow Traveler in 2021 after serving as Senior Business and Event Manager for The Triple‑i Initiative, where he helped coordinate large‑scale industry conferences and partnership programmes.
Julie Derhak is now a 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, before moving to the tabletop giant to bring her production expertise to the iconic role‑playing franchise.
Alvaro Menéndez has taken on the role of International Social Lead at Mojang Studios. Menéndez previously acted as Senior Marketing Manager for Epic Games in Madrid, where he oversaw global community initiatives and influencer programmes. Linus Johnsson was promoted to Senior Audio Designer at Frontier Developments. Johnsson joined Frontier in 2022 as a graduate audio designer and has since progressed to senior status, contributing to the soundscapes of titles such as Elite Dangerous and Planet Zoo.
Nate Nanzer departs Epic Games after a seven‑year tenure to become Executive Vice President, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Paramount Games. At Epic, Nanzer most recently served as 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." Julia Gutnik is appointed Head of Media at Amazon Gaming. Gutnik comes from a background in automotive marketing, having led media, social and analytics at Kia America, but she also spent over six years at Amazon’s entertainment divisions—Prime Video and Amazon Studios—where she managed 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.
Lorna Antoniazzi joins Studio MDHR as Art Producer. Antoniazzi previously worked at Roarty Digital, contributing to Fortnite Battle Royale and Lego Fortnite, and now will oversee art pipelines for titles such as Cuphead and its upcoming sequel. Aysu Kutbay becomes Product Manager at Grand Games, after serving in the same capacity at Rollic, where she helped launch several successful mobile titles across Asia and Europe.
David Bailey returns to Games Workshop as Lead Commercial Manager – Licensing. Bailey first 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 expand the Warhammer licensing portfolio. "It's a privilege to return to the vast and evergreen Warhammer universes to help spearhead new business for licensing here," he said.
Liana Murphy is appointed Account Director, US Operations at Second Stage. Murphy previously held dual roles as COO and Head of Public Relations at Vicariously and V Publishing, giving her a strong blend of operational and communications experience. Tim Coombs takes the helm as Head of Brand Marketing for Amazon Luna.
Coombs previously directed brand management at Xbox until July 2026, after joining Microsoft in 2020 as Senior Manager for Brand Strategy. Earlier in his career he led product marketing for Amazon Lumberyard (2017) and later for Amazon Game Tech. Erik Mogensen exits Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast after three years as Senior Director of Business Development for digital gaming. Prior to that, he spent 23 years at Games Workshop, most recently as Head of Business Development and Consumer Product Licensing.
"It's not lost on me how special it's been to have worked on, and for, my favourite brands," Mogensen reflected. Ryan Rubin joins Blizzard Entertainment 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 IP.
Andrey Odintsov is named Head of Marketing at Battlestate Games. Odintsov previously managed user acquisition at Multicast Games and now works as an independent growth and go‑to‑market consultant for various studios. Dan Lazarides becomes Chief Marketing Officer at Frontier Developments.
Lazarides previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega Europe and succeeded Jo Cooke after her promotion to CEO of Frontier in January. Cooke praised his appointment, noting that his experience with large‑scale IP will reinforce Frontier’s player‑first strategy.
Karen Ionescu takes the role of Digital Sales Manager at Kalypso Media UK. Ionescu brings experience from Numskull Games, Nintendo and Rising Star Games, and will oversee both retail and digital distribution channels. 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; Pyy previously spent four years in the same capacity at Metacore.
Nathan Solbrandt becomes SVP of Business Development at fintech platform ZBD. Solbrandt earlier worked as Senior Account Executive at Motorica and as Vice President of Business Development for the Americas at Xsolla. Olivia Lee is hired as Internal Events Producer at Riot Games, building on her prior experience coordinating 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, progressed to Associate VP of Communications, left in 2019 for EA, and now comes back to support the studio’s flagship franchises. 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 a senior narrative design role 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, with a background in production, animation and teaching at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone). Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger have been added to 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 will now help push the boundaries of AI‑driven entertainment at Roblox.
Sathvik Sudireddy joins Rockstar Games as Marketing Manager for Live Services, after product management work on Call of Duty at Activision and a business‑development internship at Rockstar. Joe Chard is appointed Lead Product Manager at Netflix Games.
Chard previously held senior roles at Jam City—including VP, Studio General Manager and Head of Product—plus positions 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, underscoring how studios continuously seek fresh expertise to drive innovation, improve performance and expand their creative horizons.