September 2026 Jobs Summary – Fandom Grows Its Executive Team

Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures across the games sector can be a daunting task. To make it easier for industry professionals and observers alike, we publish periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel moves. If you know of any new appointments or role changes that deserve a mention, please forward the name, new title, company, as well as the previous position and employer to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.

In this edition we focus on several significant changes at Fandom, along with a host of other announcements from companies ranging from The New York Times to Blizzard Entertainment. The updates include three fresh additions to Fandom’s executive leadership, a promotion for a long‑standing engineer, and a slew of senior‑level moves elsewhere in the industry. ### Fandom’s Executive Expansion **Anita Butler – Senior Vice President, Design & User Research** Butler joins Fandom after a distinguished career in consumer‑focused design. She most recently served as Executive Vice President of Design and Research at Nextdoor, where she oversaw product experience for millions of neighborhood users.

Prior to that, she held the role of Vice President of Consumer Design at Twitter and was Chief Design Officer at Strava, guiding the visual and experiential direction of those platforms. At Fandom, Butler will steer design strategy and user‑research initiatives, helping the company deepen its connection with fan communities. **Damon Sicore – Chief Technology Officer & Head of Fandom Labs** Sicore arrives with a strong background in open‑source and web‑technology leadership.

He previously occupied senior engineering positions at both Wikipedia and Mozilla, where he was instrumental in building the core engineering teams behind Firefox, as well as the standards for HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. In his new capacity, Sicore will lead Fandom’s technology roadmap and head the experimental Fandom Labs division, tasked with prototyping next‑generation fan‑engagement tools.

**Peter Scanlon – Chief Marketing Officer** Scanlon brings a wealth of marketing expertise from stints at Google, Mozilla, and Monks. His experience spans brand building, performance marketing, and community outreach. As CMO, he will craft and execute strategies that amplify Fandom’s reach, attract new creators, and reinforce the platform’s position as a hub for fan‑generated knowledge.

**Daniel Grunwell – Senior Vice President of Engineering (Promotion)** A veteran of fifteen years at Fandom, Grunwell has been promoted to oversee the company’s engineering and infrastructure teams. His deep institutional knowledge and hands‑on technical leadership are expected to ensure the stability and scalability of Fandom’s massive data‑driven services. Jay Sullivan, CEO of Fandom, summed up the leadership shift: “Fandom rests on an incredible foundation—millions of fans who have spent years building knowledge and communities around the things they love.

Our opportunity is to build on that and give fans even more ways to connect, discover, and participate. Daniel’s long tenure at Fandom brings a deep understanding of our roots and what makes our communities special, while Damon, Pete and Anita bring fresh perspectives and deep consumer and platform expertise. Together, we have the right team to build the next generation of Fandom.” ### Other Notable Appointments - **Jonathan Knight – Chief Games Officer, The New York Times** – Knight previously served as Senior Vice President, Head of Games, where he led the acquisition and integration of the viral puzzle *Wordle*. - **Chase Shi – Vice President, Head of Game Product, Scopely** – Shi returns to Scopely after roles at Jam City and Blizzard Entertainment, where he directed product management for *Diablo*.

- **Jonathan Marcelino – Director of Product, Scopely** – Former founder and CEO of hybrid‑casual studio Ritmo Games. - **Berkay Özer – Head of Studio, Fomo Games** – Joined Fomo in 2022, progressed from product specialist to team lead, and briefly moved to Loom Games before returning. - **Peter Sydow – Head of Production, Arrowhead Game Studios** – Previously senior producer at Massive Entertainment and PlayerUnknown Productions.

- **Ryan Ngoon – Game Designer, Blizzard Entertainment** – Advanced from quest‑designer intern (2023) to associate game designer (2024) and now to full designer. - **Sarah Johnson – Art Producer, Epic Games** – Holds prior production experience at Bungie, Secret Dimension, Hangar 13, and Telltale Games.

- **Brian Trunk – Senior Vice President, Route to Market – Americas, Asmodee** – After a decade as an Asmodee partner and 17 years at Wizards of the Coast in commercial and digital‑games leadership, Trunk emphasizes the importance of people, relationships, and community in business success. - **Wille Miljas – Director of Product Marketing, Rovio** – Previously led marketing at Good Shepherd Entertainment and Redhill Games, and managed planning and strategy at Next Games. - **Jameson Durall – Senior Design Director on *Blight: Survival*, Behaviour Interactive** – Former advanced senior game designer at Insomniac Games, contributing to *Marvel’s Spider‑Man 2*. - **Matt Dobill – Director of Applied AI, Epic Games** – Also serves as senior counsel on technology and tools.

- **Joe Gabriel – Senior Technical Production Manager, AndroidXR, Unity** – Former head of customer and developer success at Niantic Spatial and senior developer‑relations manager at Niantic. - **Erik Meurk – Senior Software Engineer, King** – Progressed from Unity intern (2023) to associate software engineer (2024) and now senior engineer.

- **Stéfanie Grandchamp‑Dubé – Lead UX Designer, Epic Games** – Joined Epic in 2023 after a senior UX role at Behaviour Interactive. - **Jack Anderson – VFX Artist, Rebellion** – Previously created visual effects for nDreams and Interior/Night. - **David Scarborough – Senior Manager, EMEA Communications, Blizzard Entertainment** – Former senior account director at Brands2Life and head of communications at Inflexion Games. - **Esther Lopez – Principal VFX Artist, King** – After a stint at Meta as a real‑time VFX specialist, she returns to King, describing the move as a rare privilege.

- **Magda Marcinkowska – Production Manager, Marketing, CD Projekt Red** – Former acting publishing operations director at Techland. - **Linh Lai – Accounting Assistant, Newzoo** – Completed a six‑month internship and now seeks to deepen accounting expertise and improve processes. - **Tommi Virolainen – Senior Game Programmer, Kokoon Games** – Previously a tech programmer at Metacore and senior programmer at Lightneer. - **Christopher Holtorf – Senior Quest Designer, CD Projekt Red** – Former senior narrative designer at Intrepid Studios.

- **Amir Satvat – General Partner, 1Up Ventures** – Previously business‑development director at Tencent Games and founder of the community‑focused ASGC job‑resource platform. - **Lasse Seppänen – Departing Supercell** – After seven years, including leadership of game‑production services and managing Supercell London, he plans to launch a new studio in the UK in 2027.

- **Giles Derrington – Director of Global Affairs, UK, Take‑Two Interactive** – Former head of public affairs at TikTok UK. - **Jess Pearce – Senior People Partner, Kepler Interactive** – Progressed from people advisor (2022) to partner (2024).

- **Shreya Godha – Producer, PlaySimple Games** – Previously associate producer at the same studio. - **Kelly Ekins – Director of Communications, Epic Games** – Former senior director of global PR at Unity’s Games and Made with Unity program, and earlier marketing lead at Warner Brothers Games Montreal. - **Ilari Kuittinen – Stepping Down as Managing Director, Housemarque** – Co‑founder who led the studio for 31 years; transition to Sami “Haxu” Hakala ensures continuity.

- **Tamara Feiman – CEO, Lion Studios (Tripledot Studios)** – Rose from EMEA business‑development lead (2020) to publishing general manager, emphasizing partnership‑driven growth. - **Heather Sangria – Community Manager, Sega of America** – Former contract social strategist at One More Game and digital‑strategy manager at Undead Labs. - **Emily Rose Chen – Senior Product Manager, Call of Duty, Activision Blizzard** – Advanced from financial analyst (2020) to product manager and now senior product manager. - **Scot McCarron – Senior Director of Product Management, Call of Duty, Activision Blizzard** – Previously director of product management, joining Activision in 2018 as product marketing manager for emerging franchises.

These moves illustrate the dynamic nature of the gaming ecosystem, where talent circulates between established publishers, innovative startups, and emerging platforms. Executives like Butler, Sicore, and Scanlon bring fresh consumer‑centric perspectives to Fandom, while seasoned veterans such as Grunwell provide continuity. Across the broader industry, promotions and hires signal ongoing investment in areas like AI, user experience, community management, and cross‑platform technology—critical components for the next wave of interactive entertainment.

The round‑up also underscores a growing trend: many leaders are returning to previous employers after gaining experience elsewhere, as seen with Chase Shi at Scopely and Esther Lopez at King. This pattern reflects both the value of institutional knowledge and the desire to apply new insights to familiar challenges. Finally, the departures noted—particularly Lasse Seppänen’s exit from Supercell and Ilari Kuittinen’s step‑down at Housemarque—highlight the natural lifecycle of leadership roles in a fast‑moving sector. Both individuals leave on their own terms, with plans to nurture new ventures or ensure smooth transitions, reinforcing the industry's emphasis on mentorship and succession planning.

Overall, September 2026 proves to be a month of strategic talent shifts, positioning companies to better serve fan communities, innovate on product fronts, and sustain growth in an increasingly competitive market.