It can be difficult keeping track of the various comings and goings in the games industry, which is why we compile them in semi-regular round-ups.
If you have new appointments or transitions in your company that belong here, please send the names of appointees, new role and company, and prior role and company to [email protected].
Frontier Developments appoints Dan Lazarides as CMO
Dan Lazarides has been appointed chief marketing officer at Frontier Developments.
Lazarides previously served as senior vice president of marketing at Sega Europe, and replaced Jo Cooke following her appointment as Frontier’s CEO in January.
“We are delighted to welcome Dan to Frontier, who brings with him a wealth of experience on some of the industry’s largest IP,” says Cooke.
“His leadership in this genre will continue Frontier’s upward momentum, and his appointment to the role of CMO highlights our focus on our communities. Dan will be at the heart of our player first strategy, ensuring our publishing team champions player creativity and celebrates the way in which they play our games.”
Cooke concluded: “This strategy is paramount to our position as a genre-leading creative management simulation studio and ensures that we continue to create incredible games.”
Tracey Thompson returns to Bethesda as VP of communications
Tracey Thompson has been returned to Bethesda as VP of communications.
Thompson joined Bethesda in 2009 as director of publications, becoming associate VP of communications. She left in 2019 to join Electronic Arts as head of product and studio integrated communications.
“I’m looking forward to partnering with the talented people across Bethesda and Xbox, supporting the teams behind some of the most iconic franchises in entertainment, and helping bring their creativity and vision to players around the world,” said Thompson.
Maddie Richter | Social media marketing manager, Nintendo of America
Maddie Richter has been appointed social media marketing manager at Nintendo of America. Richter previously served as social media manager at Alaska Airlines.
Dana Duffield | Narrative designer, Yotta Games
Dana Duffield has joined Yotta Games as a narrative designer. Duffield previously served as senior narrative designer at Series Entertainment.
Three new hires at Yogscast Games
UK publisher Yogscast Games has announced a trio of new hires including Charlotte Willis, Robin Mawhinney, and Charlotte Pang.
Willis has been appointed PR and influencer manager, having previously worked at Diva Agency as creator and community director.
Mawhinney and Pang have joined as production coordinator and publishing coordinator respectively.
Mawhinney worked as a junior producer at Atelier 11, while Pang served as producer, animator, and artist for Team Gramps and Queensguard. She also taught game design, animation, and coding at Submarine Art School and The Code Zone.
Jars AI co-founders join Roblox to support AI tool launch in New Zealand
Steffen Holm and Chris Kruger have joined Roblox’s Foundation AI team to support the platform’s mobile-first AI creation tool Build in New Zealand.
Holm and Kruger co-founded AI interactive platform Jars AI in 2023 after raising $3.5 million in funding from Google and other firms.
“At Jars AI we saw hundreds of thousands of creators use AI to shape weird new worlds and stories, and we’re excited to keep pushing the boundaries of AI entertainment in our new roles,” said Holm.
Sathvik Sudireddy | Marketing manager, live services, Rockstar
Sathvik Sudireddy has joined Rockstar Games as marketing manager, live services.
Sudireddy previously served as product manager on Call of Duty at Activision following an internship in business development at the developer.
Joe Chard | Lead product manager, Netflix
Joe Chard has been appointed lead product manager at Netflix Games.
Chard previously served as vice president, studio general manager, and head of product at Jam City for six years. They also held senior positions in games at The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment.