Industry Updates: October – Code Wizards Group Names Catherine Bygrave as Commercial Lead

Keeping up with the constant flow of personnel changes across the video‑game sector can be a daunting task. That’s why we regularly assemble concise round‑ups of the most noteworthy hires, promotions, and departures. If your organization has recently welcomed new talent or experienced a shift in leadership that you think belongs in this list, please forward the individual’s name, new title, and company, along with their previous position and employer, to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Catherine Bygrave has been named Head of Commercial for Code Wizards Group.

Bygrave arrives with an extensive background in business development and commercial strategy. She previously held the role of Business Development Director at Sumo Games and spent ten years at Activision, where she contributed to flagship franchises such as Call of Duty and Destiny. In addition, she has occupied senior commercial and strategic positions at Gfinity, Humble Games, and Sumo Digital. "I have followed Code Wizards throughout my career and have always admired the team’s ethos and performance," Bygrave explained.

"I’m thrilled to join the group and help drive the business forward into its next phase." Stuart Muckley, CEO of Code Wizards Group, welcomed the appointment: "Catherine’s addition to our leadership team is incredibly exciting. The games industry has evolved rapidly over the past few years, and Catherine is precisely the kind of leader who can guide Code Wizards to the next level of growth and innovation." In another significant move, Michał Platkow‑Gilewski has been promoted to Vice President of Global Communications and Marketing at CD Projekt Red.

Platkow‑Gilewski first joined CD Projekt Red in 2011 as Head of Marketing. Over the ensuing years he progressed through a series of senior roles, including Head of Global Communications, Director of Public Relations and Global Communication, and finally Vice President of PR and Communication. His long‑standing tenure reflects a deep familiarity with the brand’s worldwide outreach and messaging strategies. Playground Games announced the appointment of Daniel Smith as Executive Producer.

Smith brings a wealth of experience from his previous stint as Executive Producer at Turn 10 Studios, where he oversaw large‑scale product development and production pipelines. Prior to that, he spent nine years at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, serving as Senior Producer and Games Producer and managing the studio’s extensive publishing portfolio across multiple platforms. At 2K and its subsidiary Hangar 13 Games, Gero Micciché has taken on the role of Lead Producer. Micciché’s résumé includes a tenure as Development Director on the Battlefield franchise at Criterion Games, as well as development director and producer positions at major publishers such as Electronic Arts, Codemasters, and Gameloft.

His broad experience across both AAA and mid‑tier projects positions him well to steer Hangar 13’s upcoming titles. Bloober Team’s horror‑focused imprint, Broken Mirror Games, has named Tymon Smektala as Executive Producer.

Smektala spent 13 years at Techland, most recently serving as Franchise Director after joining the company in 2013 as a game designer. He said, "After more than 13 years at Techland, I’m taking on a new challenge: leading the imprint, shaping its creative direction and portfolio, and collaborating with talented external studios to bring fresh perspectives on horror in gaming." Roblox has added Vik Agarwal to its product team. Agarwal’s background includes senior product leadership at Meta, a Lead Product Manager role at Zynga, and product manager positions at both Electronic Arts and Amazon Game Studios. His cross‑industry experience is expected to enhance Roblox’s product roadmap and user‑experience initiatives.

Finally, Zynga announced the appointment of Daniel Loane as Principal Game Designer. Loane previously worked as Senior Game Designer at Fortis Games and has held senior design roles at ZeniMax Online Studios, NetherRealm Studios, and King. His extensive design pedigree across a variety of genres will contribute to Zynga’s evolving portfolio of social and mobile games. These appointments underscore the fluid nature of talent movement within the interactive entertainment sector, where seasoned professionals continuously seek new challenges and companies strive to inject fresh perspectives into their creative and commercial endeavors.

By tracking these shifts, industry observers can gauge emerging trends, anticipate strategic directions, and understand how leadership changes may influence the development pipelines and market positioning of some of the world’s most influential game studios.