Keeping up with the constant flow of hires, promotions, and departures in the video‑game sector can be a daunting task. That’s why we put together periodic round‑ups that capture the most noteworthy personnel movements across studios and publishers. If you know of a colleague or a new executive appointment that belongs in one of these summaries, please forward the individual's name, new title, and company—as well as their previous role and employer—to newhires@gamesindustry.biz. Catherine Bygrave has been named head of commercial for Code Wizards Group.
Bygrave arrives with a robust background in business development and commercial strategy. She spent ten years at Activision, where she contributed to flagship franchises such as Call of Duty and Destiny, before moving on to senior commercial and strategic positions at Gfinity, Humble Games, and Sumo Digital. Most recently, she served as business development director at Sumo Games, overseeing partnership negotiations and revenue‑generating initiatives. "I have followed Code Wizards throughout my career and have always admired the team's ethos and performance," Bygrave said in a statement.
"I am thrilled to join the organization and help drive the business forward in its next phase of growth." Stuart Muckley, CEO of Code Wizards Group, expressed his enthusiasm for the new addition: "Catherine's expertise aligns perfectly with the evolving landscape of the games industry. Her experience will be instrumental as we aim to elevate Code Wizards to the next level of commercial success." In other news, Michał Platkow‑Gilewski has been promoted to Vice President of Global Communications and Marketing at CD Projekt Red. Platkow‑Gilewski first joined the Polish developer in 2011 as head of marketing, a role that quickly expanded to encompass global communications, public relations, and overall brand strategy. Over the years he has held titles including director of public relations and global communication, and most recently VP of PR and communication, guiding the company's messaging during the launch of high‑profile titles such as The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077.
Playground Games announced the appointment of Daniel Smith as executive producer. Smith brings a wealth of experience from Turn 10 Studios, where he oversaw large‑scale product development and production pipelines for the acclaimed Forza Motorsport franchise.
Prior to that, he spent nine years at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, serving as senior producer and games producer and managing a diverse portfolio of Xbox releases. His deep understanding of both development and publishing processes is expected to bolster Playground's upcoming projects. At 2K and its subsidiary Hangar 13 Games, Gero Micciché has been promoted to lead producer.
Micciché's résumé includes a stint as development director on the Battlefield series at Criterion Games, as well as senior development and production roles at Electronic Arts, Codemasters, and Gameloft. His track record of steering large, technically complex projects positions him well to guide Hangar 13's next generation of titles.
Bloober Team has named Tymon Smektala as executive producer for its horror‑focused imprint, Broken Mirror Games. Smektala spent 13 years at Techland, most recently serving as franchise director after joining the company in 2013 as a game designer. In his new role, he will shape the creative direction of Broken Mirror, curate its portfolio, and collaborate with external studios to inject fresh perspectives into the horror genre.
"After more than 13 years at Techland, I’m taking on a new challenge: leading the imprint, shaping its creative direction and portfolio, and working with talented external studios to bring new perspectives on horror in gaming," Smektala explained. Roblox has welcomed Vik Agarwal to its product team.
Agarwal previously held senior product leadership positions at Meta and served as lead product manager at Zynga. His earlier career includes product manager roles at Electronic Arts and Amazon Game Studios, giving him a broad view of product development across social, mobile, and console platforms. At Roblox, he will focus on enhancing the creator ecosystem and expanding the platform's monetization tools. Finally, Zynga announced that Daniel Loane has been appointed principal game designer.
Loane's background includes a senior game designer role at Fortis Games, as well as senior design positions at ZeniMax Online Studios, NetherRealm Studios, and King. His expertise spans live‑service game design, monetization strategies, and player‑experience optimization, all of which will be valuable as Zynga continues to evolve its portfolio of mobile and social games. These appointments reflect the dynamic nature of the games industry, where talent moves fluidly between studios, bringing fresh ideas and seasoned expertise to new challenges. As companies adapt to shifting market trends, emerging technologies, and evolving player expectations, the strategic placement of experienced leaders becomes a key driver of success.
The individuals highlighted above are poised to make significant contributions to their respective organizations, shaping the future of interactive entertainment across multiple platforms and genres.