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].
Hannes Seifert | Co-CEO, Crytek
German developer Crytek has appointed Hannes Seifert as co-CEO.
Seifert begins his role on January 1, 2026, and will “focus on the business areas of game production and publishing.” Crytek’s founder and CEO Avni Yerli “will continue to be responsible for the strategic direction and further development of the company.”
Seifert has almost four decades of industry experience as founder and director of Rockstar VIenna, as well as leadership positions at Deep Silver and IO Interactive.
Prior to joining Crytek, Seifert was senior director of publishing, EMEA at Riot Games. He joined Riot in 2019 as country manager for Central Europe, and was also director of publishing for Europe.
“It is an honor to become part of Crytek, a company I have always greatly admired for its games, technology, and values,” said Seifert.
“I look forward to supporting the teams in providing players around the world with the best action experiences today and in the future, and I thank Avni for his trust in me.”
Yerli added: “By extending our management team, we want to strengthen and further expand Crytek’s position on the market. In particular, we will drive growth in key global markets with our publishing and game services.”
“Hannes will set the course for sustainable growth as the new co-CEO.”
Tim Cain returns to Obsidian as “full-time employee”
Industry veteran Tim Cain has returned to Obsidian, and is working on an unannounced project.
Revealing the news on his YouTube channel, Cain confirmed that he has come out of his contractor role to work on the project in-person.
“I’m not a contractor anymore,” he said. “So, this means that I’m not working at other places, although there’s at least one game that I worked on [in that capacity for another studio] that I know is going to ship.”
“I can’t talk about the project I’m working on at Obsidian, just because that’s covered under NDA,” he said. “Don’t bother guessing. You’re not going to guess right. I would say that I’m probably a lot less retired now than I was before, so that whole video I have on being semi-retired, I guess I’m not.”
Cain originally joined Obsidian back in 2011 as a senior programmer. His last full-time roles at the developer were on Pillars of Eternity and The Outer Worlds. He then became a contractor, and worked on The Outer Worlds 2.
John Getze joins Azra Games as vice president of user acquisition
John Getze has joined Azra Games as vice president of user acquisition.
In his new role, Getze “will lead growth strategy, performance marketing, and player acquisition initiatives for Azra’s upcoming flagship title, Ungodly.”
Getze has over two decades of experience in “user acquisition, marketing strategy, and data-driven scaling for gaming and digital entertainment companies.”
He previously held leadership roles at Kixeye, Monster, and The Sharper Image. Prior to joining Azra Games, Getze was CMO at Global Worldwide.
“I’m incredibly excited to join Azra Games at such a pivotal moment,” said Getze. “The team’s passion, creativity, and commitment to craft are unmatched, and Ungodly is shaping up to be something truly special.”
Azra Games VP of growth Ken Walton added: “John’s experience scaling games and building data-powered growth pipelines is exceptional.
“As we prepare Ungodly for launch, his leadership will be instrumental in bringing our vision to a worldwide audience. We’re thrilled to welcome him to the team.”
Emily Villatte | CFO, Stillfront
Stillfront has appointed Emily Villatte as CFO.
Villatte has 15 years of experience across various leadership roles in financial services and technology growth. She was previously CFO and deputy CEO at podcast monetisation platform Acast for six years.
After serving as interim CFO, Tim Holland has returned to his role as deputy CFO following Villatte’s appointment.
“I am excited to join Stillfront as Group CFO,” said Villante. “I look forward to contributing my experience in financial and operational leadership to continue the company’s strategic development and to support the talented team at Stillfront to deliver great player experiences and shareholder value.”
Jon Wilcox joins Renaissance as senior communications manager, Emily Britt returns as head of corporate communications
Renaissance PR has welcomed Jon Wilcox and Emily Britt to its leadership team.
Jon Wilcox joins as senior communications manager, bringing a “unique lens that blends critical thinking, storytelling flair, and deep industry insight” to the firm.
Wilcox was previously head of communications and events at CI Games. He worked at Team17 Digital for over four years, joining in 2019 as senior PR and events manager before becoming PR and events lead in 2021.
He also worked at Jagex for six years, having joined in 2013 as UK PR manager and then senior communications manager.
Emily Britt has returned to Renaissance as head of corporate communications, and is responsible for “developing strategy, shaping narrative and storytelling, and overseeing communications rollout across our client portfolio.”
“Emily’s return strengthens our ability to support clients across corporate, CSR, and strategic narratives, and her presence reflects our ongoing commitment to building a leadership team that’s both seasoned and future-focused,” said Renaissance.
Prior to rejoining the PR firm, Britt was senior communications manager at Sharkmob. She has also worked at Eidos, 2K, Square Enix, and The Pokémon Company International in senior and leadership PR roles.
David Grivel | Splinter Cell remake game director, Ubisoft Toronto
David Grivel has returned to Ubisoft Toronto as game director on the Splinter Cell remake.
Grivel initially became game director of the game in 2021, holding this position for a year before leaving to join Electronic Arts as senior designer director on Battlefield 6.
He returned to Ubisoft Toronto in May 2024 as game director on an unannounced project in its conception phase.
In December 2024 Grivel joined Worlds Untold, which was subsequently shut down as he was transitioning into the studio design director role.
Grivel originally joined Ubisoft in 2011 as a game designer on Ghost Recon Future Soldier. He moved to Ubisoft Toronto in 2012 as senior game designer on Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Assassin’s Creed Unity. He was also lead game designer on Far Cry 5, Far Cry Primal, and Far Cry 6.
Prior to returning to Ubisoft in his current role, Grivel held contract positions at Elysium Game Studio as a game design consultant and at Pixomondo as a gameplay system designer.
Jason Avent | Founder and non-executive director, Six Peaks Games
Jason Avent has joined QA services studio Six Peak Games as founded and non-executive director.
Prior to this role, Avent was CEO and founder of Hardball Games. Founded in 2022 with former friends and colleagues from Boss Alien and TT Odyssey, it raised $5.2 million in seed capital from Griffin Gaming Partners.
Avent held executive roles at FuturLab as non-executive director, TT Games as studio head, and Boss Alien as managing director.
His title at Boss Alien changed to VP, studio head following NaturalMotion’s acquisition of the developer in 2012.
Avent has also worked at Disney’s Black Rock Studio, Climax, Electronic Arts, Bullfrog Productions, and Microprose.
Vince Farquharson | Chief games officer, Good Gate Media
As part of a leadership expansion at cross-platform entertainment company Good Gate Media, industry veteran Vince Farquharson has joined the executive team as chief games officer.
Farquharson initially joined Good Gate Media as an advisor. He is currently a mentor for Creative UK and Games London, an advisor for Bandit Island Games, director at Optimal Creative, and an angel investor for The Game Angels.
He previously held executive roles at Bossa Studios, Atari, Jagex, and THQ.
Holly Watson | Senior operations manager (customer support), The Pokémon Company International
The Pokémon Company International has appointed Holly Watson as senior operations manager, customer support.
Watson was previously head of player support at Dreamhaven, as well as head of player support at Singularity 6.
She entered the industry in 2020 at Riot Games as player support specialist.
Watson held various positions in the 11 years that she worked for the developer, including outsource coordinator, NA player support game and account lead, player support central game lead, contact experience lead, and senior contact experience lead.
“So ridiculously excited to share that I’ve joined The Pokémon Company as senior operations manager, customer support,” said Watson.
“I’m incredibly grateful for all the experiences that brought me here, and I can’t wait to help shape exceptional support experiences for fellow Pokémon fans around the world.”
Two new hires at Rokky
PC distribution platform Rokky has welcomed two new hires, influencer marketing specialist Anastasia Dvoinishnikova and business development manager Zhang Shui Qi.
Dvoinishnikova worked as an influencer marketing specialist for four years at various firms, and was marketing project manager in her previous company AAA Agency.
“Anastasia joined us this past October and has already made a great start, providing her expertise on the world of influencers and helping bring new eyes to both Rokky and our gaming clients,” said Rokky.
Zhang will focus her expertise on the Chinese market as business development manager.
“The Chinese gaming market is one of the most important, and yet it is wholly separate from the shared western gaming market,” the firm said.
“It has its own rules, its own audiences and developers trying to get their games released within it, or out of it, have more hoops to jump through.
“So, we’re excited to welcome Shui Qi aboard and offer her expertise to support the Chinese games market and Rokky’s position within it.”
