It may be troublesome conserving monitor of the varied comings and goings within the video games business, which is why we compile them in semi-regular round-ups.
When you’ve got new appointments or transitions in your organization that belong right here, please ship the names of the appointees, new function and firm, and prior function and firm to newhires@gamesindustry.biz.
Mike DeLaet | President, Ares Interactive
Ares Interactive has appointed Mike DeLaet as president.
Previous to this function, DeLaet was world head of digital gaming at Mattel – a place he held for simply over two years. He was additionally SVP of strategic partnership at Scopely for 2 years, becoming a member of in 2020.
DeLaet started his profession at Dash in 2007 as head of video games. He transitioned to Glu Cell in 2009 as SVP of worldwide publishing for practically 4 years.
In 2013, DeLaet was appointed SVP of worldwide enterprise improvement and licensing at Kabam, overseeing video games together with Marvel Contest of Champions and Transformers: Cast to Combat.
DeLaet based writer Rogue Video games in 2017, and was CEO and chairman till June 2020.
Rob Schonfeld | Chief enterprise officer, Ludeo
Gaming platform Ludeo has appointed Rob Schonfeld as its chief enterprise officer.
“The chance to assist scale [Ludeo’s] know-how and construct one thing solely new represents probably the most thrilling alternative in my profession,” stated Schonfeld.
He was beforehand world income officer at Activision Blizzard. Schonfeld joined the agency in 2012 as vice president, head of worldwide digital and cellular gross sales. He then grew to become senior vice president of worldwide digital and cellular commerce.
In 2019, Schonfeld was appointed senior vice president of income earlier than becoming a member of the board of administrators in 2022 and turning into world income officer.
Stillfront promotes Kieran O’Leary and Jochen Gary
Stillfront has promoted two of its government workers – Kieran O’Leary and Jochen Gary.
O’Leary has been promoted to EVP progress after becoming a member of the corporate in January 2025 as EVP progress platform. Previous to Stillfront, O’Leary was SVP of stay video games and chief income officer at Gameloft.
He began at Gameloft in 2014 as product managers lead in North America, transferring to world merchandise managers lead, world product advertising lead, then product advertising lead earlier than leaving in April 2019 to affix Outfit7 as senior director for advertising.
O’Leary labored at Rovio for 3 years, starting as director of progress in video games then VP of selling and CCO. He additionally labored at Forecomm in enterprise improvement for the US, IBM, and at Ubisoft as worldwide product supervisor for Watch Canines.
Gary has been promoted from VP of selling to chief advertising officer, and can report back to O’Leary instantly.
His prior function was at Goodgame Studios as vice president of selling. Gary joined in 2015 as lead advertising controlling, then was promoted to vice president of selling.
Imogen Calypso Mellor | Social lead, Yrs Actually
Imogen Calypso Mellor has been promoted to social lead at gaming advertising company Yrs Actually.
Mellor joined Yrs Actually in 2023 as marketing campaign supervisor. Previous to this function, she labored in journalism beginning as a employees author for PCGamesN, then transferring to Ladbible. She was a options producer at PC Gamer, and viewers director at The Telegraph.
She additionally works as a presenter, having hosted GDC in 2021 and has labored with manufacturers together with E4, Prime Gear, and video games such as Disco Elysium.
Andrew Hoffacker | VP head of recreation manufacturing, Annapurna Interactive
Annapurna Interactive has appointed Andrew Hoffacker as VP head of recreation manufacturing.
Hoffacker was beforehand manufacturing director of exterior video games at Netflix. He labored at Riot Video games for practically 5 years, becoming a member of in 2019 as senior producer, turning into director of Riot Forge in 2012.
He additionally labored at Activision for 12 years in producer roles on Name of Responsibility, and was a manufacturing coordinator at Infinity Ward for Name of Responsibility 4: Fashionable Warfare.
Eva Ryott | Head of stay operations, King
King has promoted Eva Roytt as head of stay operations.
Ryott started her profession at King in 2013 as an information scientist. She was then appointed enterprise efficiency supervisor, group lead for analytics, enterprise efficiency director, and as a senior producer. She left in 2019 to affix Meta as an information science supervisor, a place she held for practically three years.
In 2022, Ryott rejoined King as senior director, content material space lead. She then grew to become VP head of core gameplay for Sweet Crush Saga previous to her newest place.
“On this function, I shall be chargeable for advancing our tooling and applied sciences to help higher and quicker choices in our video games – creating cohesive and related experiences for our gamers,” she stated.
“With this, I’m additionally transitioning from the Sweet Crush recreation group into our shared tech organisation, serving a number of video games throughout King.”
Jody Zarkos | Folks and expertise lead, Lockwood Publishing
Lockwood Publishing has promoted Jody Zarkos to individuals and expertise lead.
Zarkos joined the corporate in 2024 as senior expertise accomplice. Previous to this, she was head of HR at Omeda Studios – a place she held for 2 years. She additionally labored at Jagex for 4 years, beginning in 2017 as expertise acquisition specialist, then human useful resource specialist and affiliate HR enterprise partnering.
Ben Board | Head of Unreal Engine video games enterprise – Western Europe, Epic Video games
Epic Video games has promoted Ben Board as head of Unreal Engine video games enterprise – Western Europe.
Board joined Epic in 2017 as developer help supervisor. He moved as much as enterprise improvement supervisor then director, earlier than turning into head of Unreal Engine video games enterprise for Western Europe.
He joined the business in 1997 at Bullfrog Productions as a programmer, earlier than co-founding Dogfish Leisure in 2000 the place he was additionally lead programmer.
Board moved to Lionhead Studios in 2022 as lead programmer (scripting), then went on to Group Bondi in May 2005 as lead gameplay programmer on LA Noire. He additionally labored at Microsoft as European developer account supervisor between 2008 and 2013.
Jayce Diaz | Principal encounter designer, Gunfire Video games
Jayce Diaz has joined Gunfire Video games as principal encounter designer.
Diaz began his profession in 2005 as a shift chief for Recreation Loopy, and in addition co-founded unbiased gaming information web site Glitchy Tasty.
He joined Microsoft in 2011 as a designer, and labored on the marketing campaign design group on Halo 4 and Halo 5, and was a Spartan Ops designer on Halo 4.
Diaz moved to Bungie in 2015 as a designer, then labored as a senior gameplay designer at 343 Industries in 2019. In 2021, he joined ZeniMax On-line Studios as senior degree designer, then principal degree designer in 2022.
Ben Gunstone | CEO, Stainless Video games
Stainless Video games has appointed Ben Gunstone as CEO, whereas founder Patrick Buckland has turn out to be government chairman.
Gunstone joined the developer in 2006 as manufacturing director, a task he held for practically 13 years. He moved to GlobalStep in 2019 as UK common supervisor after which director of enterprise improvement.
He then grew to become government producer of the Fishing franchise at Dovetail Video games in 2021 earlier than transferring again to Stainless Video games in 2022 as recreation director. He was promoted to operations director earlier than turning into CEO.
Gunstone has been within the business since 1992, working as a hotliner for Nintendo. He then labored in QA and manufacturing at SCI Video games for ten years, and was senior producer for exterior manufacturing at Sega for 3 years.
“Ben has been an enormous a part of our journey over the past 20 years,” stated Stainless Video games. “Now he is main the cost as we proceed to create superior video games for our purchasers, construct up our initiatives, and group up with much more AAA and AA studios as a trusted co-development accomplice.”
Tim Coupe and Clive Moody be a part of Metal Metropolis Interactive
Metal Metropolis Interactive has introduced the appointment of Tim Coupe as VP of studio and Clive Moody as VP of product improvement.
Coupe’s prior function was at Digital Arts as head of studio operations for EA Sports activities UK. He joined the developer in 2021 as director of product improvement, after which grew to become head of operations.
Coupe began within the business as a programmer, earlier than turning into VP of cellular and handheld at Warthog Video games in 1999, then moved to EA as improvement director in 2003.
He was studio improvement supervisor at Eurocom for over seven years, earlier than turning into government producer at Jagex in 2012. Coupe joined Codemasters in 2015 as senior improvement director, earlier than leaving in 2018 to work at Palringo and Curve Growth.
Coupe returned to Codemasters in 2020 as government producer, turning into director of product improvement then head of operations.
“My years at EA Sports activities and Codemasters have helped form my expertise of sports activities franchises,” stated Coupe. “Sharing [Steel City Interactive CEO] Ash Habib’s imaginative and prescient for Metal Metropolis Interactive and Undisputed, I consider we are going to create the definitive boxing online game franchise.”
Moody additionally labored at Codemasters for over 20 years. He left in 2024 as SVP of product improvement, and has been concerned within the improvement and supply of a number of franchises.
“What Ash and the group have created is unimaginable,” Moody added. “The ambition going past what’s been achieved thus far is genuinely thrilling, and too good a possibility to not be a part of serving to to form and ship.”
Christine Brownell | Senior design director – Video games, Lego Digital Play
Christine Brownell has joined Lego Digital Play as senior design director after working at Sumo Digital as director of stay ops.
Brownell joined the business in 2003, working at Blizzard Leisure as a QA software program analyst then quest designer. She moved to NetDevil in 2005 as content material designer and lead content material designer, then lead world designer at Perpetual Leisure in 2006.
Brownell labored at EA as senior recreation designer at Maxis in 2008, earlier than turning into inventive director of Playfish in 2011. She was additionally inventive director at Scopely for practically three years, becoming a member of in 2019.
Earlier than becoming a member of Sumo Digital in 2024, Brownell was franchise design director at Media Molecule and recreation director at PlayStation London Studio.
“As somebody who’s at all times believed within the energy of play, and who grew up constructing, storytelling, and imagining issues with Lego, this function feels deeply significant,” Brownell stated.
“I am additionally feeling fortunate and grateful for the prospect to affix a group led by Aaron Loeb, somebody I’ve had the pleasure of working with earlier than and have big respect for.”
Matthew Pellett and Holly Cooper appointed new roles at Secret Mode
Secret Mode has appointed Matthew Pellett as platform engagement director and Holly Cooper as head of communications.
Pellett joined Secret Mode in 2022 as PR and communications supervisor, then PR and communications director in 2024.
He made his begin within the business in 2007 as a employees author at Xbox World 360 journal. He was additionally editor at GamesMaster Journal and the Official PlayStation Journal.
Pellett labored at Lifeless Good Media for practically 4 years, beginning as media and influencer advisor, then PR account supervisor and senior PR account supervisor.
“After 18 years spent within the media, media relations, and advertising realm, I am mixing issues up,” stated Pellett.
“I am delighted to step right into a platform engagement director place at Secret Mode, the place I will be centered on our retailer pages, first-party platform visibility, digital occasion and competition participation, and rather more moreover.”
Cooper joined Secret Mode in 2024 as product advertising supervisor. In January this 12 months, she was promoted to senior product advertising supervisor earlier than turning into head of communications.
Previous to Secret Mode, she labored at Frontier Developments as product advertising supervisor. She additionally labored at Team17 for nearly 4 years, beginning as junior PR and occasions supervisor in 2017, earlier than climbing the ladder to PR and occasions supervisor then junior model supervisor.
Cooper additionally held positions of discipline government and PR government at Ubisoft.
“I have been given an incredible alternative to leap again into comms as head of communications at Secret Mode,” stated Cooper. “I began my business profession in PR and occasions, and I am excited to leap again in.
“Enormous due to Matthew Pellett for trusting me with this unimaginable group and to the senior management at Secret Mode for the chance to take this subsequent step in my profession.”
Ben Parfitt | UX author, Sony Interactive Leisure
Ben Parfitt has joined Sony Interactive Leisure as a UX author.
Parfitt has been within the gaming business since 2005, beginning as affiliate editor at MCV/Develop. He was additionally a contract author, contributing to The Guardian, Kotaku, and GamesIndustry.biz.
In 2018, Parfitt joined Jagex as affiliate editorial director – a place he held for simply over 4 years. He then grew to become senior net editor at Artistic Meeting in 2022, leaving the place in January 2024.
Partfitt returned to freelancing earlier than his newest place at Sony.