September 2026 Jobs Summary – Fandom Grows Executive Team

Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task. To make it easier for industry observers, we publish regular round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves.

If you know of a transition that deserves a mention, please forward the name, new title, company, and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. This edition highlights a series of senior appointments at Fandom, alongside a promotion for a long‑standing engineering leader, and a host of other executive changes across the broader games ecosystem. **Fandom’s Executive Expansion** Fandom announced three fresh additions to its top‑level leadership team while also promoting a veteran who has helped shape the company’s technical direction for more than a decade.

- **Anita Butler** has been named Senior Vice President of Design & User Research. Butler arrives with a distinguished résumé that includes serving as EVP of Design and Research at Nextdoor, VP of Consumer Design at Twitter, and Chief Design Officer at Strava. Her track record of building user‑centric experiences is expected to deepen Fandom’s focus on community‑driven design.

- **Damon Sicore** steps into the role of Chief Technology Officer and head of Fandom Labs. Sicore’s background spans leadership positions at both Wikipedia and Mozilla, where he oversaw the engineering teams responsible for core web technologies such as Firefox, HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.

His expertise in open‑source ecosystems and platform scalability will be crucial as Fandom looks to broaden its product suite. - **Peter Scanlon** assumes the position of Chief Marketing Officer. Scanlon brings executive experience from stints at Google, Mozilla, and Monks, giving him a deep understanding of digital acquisition, brand strategy, and community engagement—areas that align closely with Fandom’s mission to connect fans worldwide.

- **Daniel Grunwell** has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Engineering. In this capacity, Grunwell will oversee all engineering and infrastructure efforts across the company. Having spent 15 years at Fandom, he possesses an intimate knowledge of the platform’s architecture and the cultural nuances that make its fan communities thrive. "Fandom rests on an extraordinary foundation—millions of dedicated fans who have spent years curating knowledge and building vibrant communities around the things they love," said CEO Jay Sullivan.

"Our goal is to expand on that legacy, offering fans even richer ways to discover, interact, and contribute. Daniel’s deep roots give us continuity, while Damon, Peter and Anita bring fresh perspectives and deep consumer‑platform expertise.

Together, we have the right team to shape the next generation of Fandom." **Key Appointments Across the Industry** - **Jonathan Knight** joins The New York Times as Chief Games Officer. Knight previously served as Senior Vice President, Head of Games, where he led the acquisition and integration of the wildly popular Wordle.

- **Chase Shi** returns to Scopely as Vice President, Head of Game Product. Shi originally left Scopely in 2020 after serving as Senior Product Manager, later held a director role at Jam City, and then directed product management for Diablo at Blizzard Entertainment. - **Jonathan Marcelino** becomes Director of Product at Scopely after founding and running the hybrid‑casual studio Ritmo Games.

- **Berkay Özer** is appointed Head of Studio at Fomo Games. Özer first joined Fomo in 2022 as a product specialist, later leading the product team before a brief stint at Loom Games as a product manager.

- **Peter Sydow** takes the helm as Head of Production at Arrowhead Game Studios, bringing senior‑producer experience from Massive Entertainment and PlayerUnknown Productions. - **Ryan Ngoon** advances to Game Designer at Blizzard Entertainment after starting as a quest‑design intern in 2023 and moving to associate game designer in 2024.

- **Sarah Johnson** joins Epic Games as an Art Producer. Her background includes production roles at Bungie, Secret Dimension, Hangar 13, and Telltale Games. - **Brian Trunk** steps into the role of Senior Vice President of Route to Market for the Americas at Asmodee. Trunk, a partner at Asmodee for over a decade, previously spent 17 years at Wizards of the Coast, most recently as Vice President of Commercial, Digital Games Revenue, and the Wizards Play Network.

- **Wille Miljas** is promoted to Director of Product Marketing at Rovio, after joining the company in 2024 as Marketing Lead. He previously headed marketing at Good Shepherd Entertainment and Redhill Games, and served as Senior Marketing Manager for Planning and Strategy at Next Games.

- **Jameson Durall** becomes Senior Design Director on *Blight: Survival* at Behaviour Interactive. Durall previously worked at Insomniac Games as an advanced senior game designer on *Marvel’s Spider‑Man 2*. - **Matt Dobill** is promoted to Director of Applied AI at Epic Games, while also serving as Senior Counsel on Technology and Tools.

- **Joe Gabriel** joins Unity as Senior Technical Production Manager for AndroidXR. Gabriel’s prior experience includes leading Customer and Developer Success at Niantic Spatial and serving as Senior Developer Relations Manager at Niantic.

- **Erik Meurk** advances to Senior Software Engineer at King. He entered King as a Unity development intern in 2023, became an associate software engineer in early 2024, and has since contributed to multiple mobile titles.

- **Stéfanie Grandchamp‑Dubé** is promoted to Lead UX Designer at Epic Games, after joining in 2023 as a senior UX designer and previously holding the same role at Behaviour Interactive. - **Jack Anderson** joins Rebellion as a VFX Artist, following similar positions at nDreams and Interior/Night.

- **David Scarborough** becomes Senior Manager of EMEA Communications at Blizzard Entertainment, after senior roles at Brands2Life, Inflexion Games, Improbable, and Koch Media/Deep Silver. - **Esther Lopez** returns to King as Principal VFX Artist. Lopez originally joined King in 2014, rose to Associate Principal VFX Artist in 2020, spent two years at Meta focusing on real‑time VR/AR VFX, and now brings that expertise back to King. - **Magda Marcinkowska** is appointed Production Manager in Marketing at CD Projekt Red, after acting as Publishing Operations Director at Techland.

- **Linh Lai** becomes Accounting Assistant at Newzoo following a six‑month internship, noting how the experience has clarified the link between individual accounting tasks and broader business operations. - **Tommi Virolainen** joins Kokoon Games as Senior Game Programmer, after technical programming work at Metacore and senior development roles at Lightneer. - **Christopher Holtorf** is named Senior Quest Designer at CD Projekt Red, having previously served as Senior Narrative Designer at Intrepid Studios. - **Amir Satvat** joins 1Up Ventures as a General Partner.

Satvat previously directed business development at Tencent Games and founded the community‑focused initiative Always Supporting the Games Community (ASGC), which helps job seekers enter the industry. - **Lasse Seppänen** announces his departure from Supercell after seven years, during which he progressed from producer to Head of Game Production Services and General Manager of Supercell London. He plans to launch a new studio in the UK in 2027.

- **Giles Derrington** becomes Director of Global Affairs UK at Take‑Two Interactive, after serving as Head of Public Affairs UK at TikTok. - **Jess Pearce** is promoted to Senior People Partner at Kepler Interactive, having joined the company as a People Advisor in 2022. - **Shreya Godha** advances to Producer at PlaySimple Games, after working as an Associate Producer. - **Kelly Ekins** is appointed Director of Communications at Epic Games.

Ekins previously held the role of Senior Director of Global PR for Unity’s Games and Made with Unity program, and before that led marketing for media and entertainment at Unity following a stint at Warner Brothers Games Montreal. - **Ilari Kuittinen**, co‑founder and Managing Director of Housemarque, steps down after 31 years.

Kuittinen co‑founded the studio in 1995 after merging Bloodhouse and Terramarque. He praised the company’s independence and smooth transition to PlayStation Studios, noting that Sami "Haxu" Hakala now leads the studio. - **Tamara Feiman** is named CEO of Lion Studios, the publishing arm of Tripledot Studios.

Feiman began her career at Lion in 2020 as EMEA Business Development Lead, later becoming Publishing General Manager. She emphasizes the collaborative culture that has enabled the studio to turn bold ideas into games enjoyed by millions.

- **Heather Sangria** joins Sega of America as Community Manager, after contract work as a social strategist at One More Game and a digital strategy role at Undead Labs. - **Emily Rose Chen** is promoted to Senior Product Manager for *Call of Duty* at Activision Blizzard, having risen from a financial analyst position in 2020 to product manager.

- **Scot McCarron** advances to Senior Director of Product Management for *Call of Duty* at Activision Blizzard, after serving as Director of Product Management on the franchise and joining the company in 2018 as Product Marketing Manager for emerging titles. These movements illustrate the dynamic nature of talent flow within the gaming sector, where seasoned veterans and fresh leaders alike are reshaping the future of interactive entertainment.

Each appointment not only reflects individual career progression but also signals strategic priorities for the companies involved—whether it’s expanding technical capabilities, deepening community engagement, or strengthening global market presence. The combined expertise of these new leaders will undoubtedly influence the next wave of games, platforms, and fan experiences across the industry.