Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task, which is why we publish periodic round‑ups that gather the most noteworthy moves in one place. If you know of a transition that belongs in this list—whether it’s a new appointment, a promotion, or a departure—please forward the name, new title, company, and previous role to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Fandom has announced a significant reshuffle of its senior leadership, bringing three external executives onto its executive team and promoting a long‑time insider. Anita Butler has been named senior vice‑president of design and user research.
Butler arrives from a distinguished career that includes serving as EVP of design and research at Nextdoor, VP of consumer design at Twitter, and chief design officer at Strava, giving her a deep background in consumer‑focused product design and research. Damon Sicore joins Fandom as chief technology officer and head of Fandom Labs. Sicore’s résumé features senior engineering leadership at both Wikipedia and Mozilla, where he oversaw the teams responsible for core web technologies such as Firefox, HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.
His experience in open‑source ecosystems and large‑scale platform engineering is expected to strengthen Fandom’s technical roadmap. Peter Scanlon steps into the role of chief marketing officer.
Scanlon brings executive marketing experience from stints at Google, Mozilla, and Monks, where he led brand strategy, user acquisition, and community engagement initiatives. Together, these three hires complement the promotion of Daniel Grunwell, a fifteen‑year veteran of Fandom, who has been elevated to senior vice‑president of engineering.
Grunwell will now oversee the entire engineering and infrastructure organization, ensuring that the platform can scale alongside its massive fan‑generated content. "Fandom rests on an extraordinary foundation—millions of enthusiasts who have spent years curating knowledge and building communities around the subjects they love," said CEO Jay Sullivan.
"Our mission is to expand on that foundation, offering fans even richer ways to connect, discover, and participate. Daniel’s deep institutional knowledge, combined with the fresh perspectives that Damon, Peter and Anita bring, gives us the ideal leadership mix to launch the next generation of Fandom experiences." Other notable movements in the industry include Jonathan Knight’s appointment as chief games officer at The New York Times. Knight previously served as senior vice‑president and head of games for the Times, where he guided the acquisition and integration of the wildly popular Wordle puzzle. Chase Shi returns to Scopely as vice‑president and head of game product.
After leaving Scopely in 2020, Shi spent time as director of product management at Jam City and later at Blizzard Entertainment, where he directed product efforts for Diablo. His re‑entry into Scopely signals a renewed focus on product‑centric game development.
Jonathan Marcelino has been named director of product at Scopely, after founding and running the hybrid‑casual studio Ritmo Games. Berkay Özer takes over as head of studio at Fomo Games; he previously served as product specialist and team lead before a brief stint at Loom Games.
Peter Sydow joins Arrowhead Game Studios as head of production, bringing senior producer experience from Massive Entertainment and PlayerUnknown Productions. Ryan Ngoon receives a promotion to game designer at Blizzard Entertainment after joining as a quest‑design intern in 2023 and advancing to associate designer the following year.
Sarah Johnson is now an art producer at Epic Games, having previously held producer roles at Bungie, Secret Dimension, Hangar 13, and Telltale Games. Brian Trunk steps into the senior vice‑president of Route to Market for the Americas at Asmodee after a decade as a partner there and 17 years at Wizards of the Coast, where he held multiple regional general‑manager and commercial leadership positions.
Rovio promotes Wille Miljas to director of product marketing; Miljas previously directed central marketing after joining the company in 2024 and has held senior marketing roles at Good Shepherd Entertainment, Redhill Games, and Next Games. Behaviour Interactive names Jameson Durall senior design director on the upcoming title Blight: Survival. Durall previously worked at Insomniac Games on Marvel’s Spider‑Man 2, bringing high‑profile AAA design experience to the project. Matt Dobill advances 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, after leading customer and developer success at Niantic Spatial. King promotes Erik Meurk to senior software engineer; Meurk started as a Unity intern in 2023 and quickly rose through the ranks. Stéfanie Grandchamp‑Dubé becomes lead UX designer at Epic Games after moving from Behaviour Interactive.
Jack Anderson joins Rebellion as a VFX artist, following similar roles at nDreams and Interior/Night. David Scarborough is hired by Blizzard Entertainment as senior manager of EMEA communications, after senior account and communications positions at Brands2Life, Inflexion Games, Improbable, and Koch Media/Deep Silver.
Esther Lopez returns to King as principal VFX artist, having previously risen from senior artist to associate principal VFX artist before a two‑year detour at Meta working on VR‑AR real‑time effects. She describes the move as a rare privilege to rejoin a familiar creative environment. Magda Marcinkowska becomes production manager in marketing at CD Projekt Red after serving as acting publishing operations director at Techland.
Linh Lai is appointed accounting assistant at Newzoo following a six‑month internship, noting how the experience has deepened her understanding of accounting processes within a larger business. Tommi Virolainen joins Kokoon Games as senior game programmer, after tech programming work at Metacore and senior programming roles at Lightneer.
Christopher Holtorf is named senior quest designer at CD Projekt Red, having previously been a senior narrative designer at Intrepid Studios. Amir Satvat becomes a general partner at 1Up Ventures, transitioning from business‑development director at Tencent Games and founder of the community‑focused resource Always Supporting the Games Community (ASGC). He emphasizes his desire to help smaller studios and to work with colleagues who share his values.
Lasse Seppänen announces his departure from Supercell after seven years, citing a desire to return to creating new IPs and plans to launch his own studio in the UK by 2027. Take‑Two Interactive appoints Giles Derrington as director of global affairs UK, after leading public affairs for TikTok in the region.
Jess Pearce is promoted to senior people partner at Kepler Interactive, having joined as a people advisor in 2022. Shreya Godha moves up to producer at PlaySimple Games, after serving as associate producer. Kelly Ekins becomes director of communications at Epic Games, following senior global PR leadership at Unity and earlier marketing roles at Warner Brothers Games Montreal.
Housemarque co‑founder and managing director Ilari Kuittinen steps down after 31 years, handing the reins to Sami “Haxu” Hakala. Kuittinen reflects on the studio’s independent journey and its recent integration into PlayStation Studios.
Tamara Feiman is named CEO of Lion Studios, a division of Tripledot Studios, after rising from EMEA business‑development lead to publishing general manager since 2020. She highlights the collaborative culture that has enabled Lion 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 community management at Undead Labs.
Emily Rose Chen is promoted to senior product manager for Call of Duty at Activision Blizzard, after starting as a financial analyst in 2020 and later moving into product management. Finally, Scot McCarron advances to senior director of product management for Call of Duty at Activision Blizzard, having progressed from product marketing manager for emerging franchises when he joined the company in 2018. These appointments, promotions, and departures illustrate the dynamic nature of talent movement within the games industry, as companies seek fresh perspectives, reward long‑term dedication, and position themselves for the next wave of innovation.