adminThis games industry jobs roundup for July 2026 covers notable appointments, departures and promotions across game developers, publishers, events and related organisations. The changes include Martin Keely moving from Blizzard Entertainment to Epic Games, leadership transitions at GDC Festival of Gaming and Supermassive Games, and a range of new roles across the sector.
Games industry jobs roundup: July 2026 appointments and departures
Use the role and career details below to keep track of where industry leaders and specialists are moving. For job seekers and studios, these announcements also offer a snapshot of the experience organisations are bringing into key teams.
Martin Keely joins Epic Games
Martin Keely has been appointed vice president and general manager of Epic Games Store and Online Services. He previously worked at Blizzard Entertainment for more than seven years in senior leadership positions, most recently as SVP of Battle.net. Keely said he is looking forward to working with the team on features for players, creators and developers, and on supporting an open, sustainable gaming ecosystem.
National Videogame Museum names Tracey Johnson chair
Tracey Johnson is the new chair of trustees for The British Games Institute (BGI), the charity that governs the National Videogame Museum. She succeeds Claire Boissiere, whose six-year tenure has concluded. Johnson is project director of TECH SY, a South Yorkshire regional development programme focused on strengthening the area’s technology ecosystem.
Johnson said she looks forward to working with the museum’s team and board, and highlighted the role videogame culture and its creators and players play in social history. The museum is based in Sheffield.
Xbox engineering VP Jared Palmer moves to Cognition AI
Jared Palmer has left Xbox, where he was vice president of engineering, to lead engineering at Cognition AI. Palmer’s Xbox appointment was announced in May during a series of leadership changes led by CEO Asha Sharma. He thanked Sharma and the Xbox team for his time at the company.
Nina Brown leaves GDC Festival of Gaming
Nina Brown has stepped down as president of GDC Festival of Gaming. She joined the festival’s parent company, Informa, in 2022 and became president in 2025. GDC spokesperson Brian Rubin-Sowers recognised her contribution, including the relaunch of the festival earlier in the year, and said the organisation plans to continue developing the event.
Neil McClarty launches a live-service advisory
Former Jagex SVP of publishing Neil McClarty has launched Kritiq, an advisory service for live-service games. McClarty spent almost two decades at Jagex. He says the advisory aims to help studios sustain games by maintaining the trust and connection that players value.
Further appointments across studios and publishers
- Al Bickham: Returned to Creative Assembly as senior brand communications manager. He previously spent 13 years at the developer as principal development communications manager on the Total War team.
- Cedrick Collomb: Appointed CTO at Liquidnitro Games. He previously held CTO roles at Tencent Games Global and Electronic Arts.
- Bill Kang: Joined casual games developer Lil Snack as chief operating officer. He spent 12 years as head of entertainment and partnerships at Supercell and also served as director of strategic initiatives at Scopely.
- Cody Woodside: Named social media marketing manager at Nintendo of America. He previously managed production and social media at Warner Bros. Discovery.
Marathon director Joe Ziegler leaves Bungie
Joe Ziegler has left Bungie four months after Marathon launched. Del Chafe III will take over as game director, working alongside creative director Julia Nardin. Ziegler said both had already been providing strong leadership and were ready to guide the game’s next phase.
Image credit: Gaming World Interviews
Marketing, production and business appointments
- Criss Bürki: Appointed manager of marketing strategy – influencers at Capcom, after working as global creator campaign manager at Ubisoft.
- Fanny Vaudour: Joined CD Projekt Red as a producer. Vaudour previously produced at Razing Studios, Chamo Games and Housemarque, and worked as project coordinator at Ubisoft Paris Studio.
- Mahmoud Ziater: Named commercial lead at Qwacks. He previously managed marketing and sales at True Gaming and is also a growth and partnerships advisor at Rivaln.
- Chris Chung: Appointed head of the global business group at Neowiz. His previous roles include chief product officer at Wargaming and business leadership positions at NCSoft Korea and NCSoft West. He also founded Motiga, the studio behind Gigantic. Neowiz has organised its divisions into Gaming Studios, Global Business and Live Game Business groups.
- Dylan Beale: Appointed studio head of Larian’s Guildford studio. He previously served as studio director at DPS Games and development director at Wargaming UK.
- Jonnie Bryant: Joined Team17 as communications director after serving as global PR director at Bethesda Softworks. Team17 general manager Harley Homewood said Bryant would support the company’s marketing leadership and media and market awareness for its titles.
- Gemma Cannon: Joined Sega Europe as a creative designer. She previously worked as a digital designer at IGN Entertainment.
- Teemu Koski: Took on the role of CEO of Nodwin Gaming’s MENA business. He joined Nodwin in 2025 as chief business officer for MENA and previously served as chief growth officer at YaLLa Esports.
Leadership changes at Supermassive Games and Nex Playground
Robert Henrysson will step down as CEO of Supermassive Games and as a partner at Nordisk Games. He described leading the studio through industry change, broadening its client base and building a consistent quality-focused development culture as shared work by the team.
Image credit: Nordisk Games
Tim Stokes has joined Nex Playground as interim general manager. He will lead commercial growth and expansion across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Additional promotions and appointments
- Ryan Ferwerda: Promoted to head of live services and mobile at Electronic Arts Tiburon. He previously led mobile and held general manager and game director roles focused on EA Sports.
- Emily Dixon: Appointed senior account executive at Bastion. She previously worked as a games journalist, contributing to GFinity, 101 Realsport and Dualshockers.
- Hakan Burak Karaman: Promoted to head of games at Rovio Entertainment. He joined the company as a product manager in April 2023 and most recently served as senior product manager.
- Christopher Serra: Named VP of business development and licensing at Paramount Games. He previously directed games business development at Oculus VR.
- Alexis Bonte: Will leave his role as Stillfront CEO, which he took on in October 2024. He joined the company in 2017 as group COO. Board chair Lars-Johan Jarnheimer credited Bonte with guiding Stillfront through strategic and organisational change and said he would support a smooth transition.
- Jakub Karolczak: Promoted to production coordinator at 11 Bit Studios, having previously served as a senior producer there.
- Hector Parra: Joined Niantic as a live game producer. His previous roles include producer at CGBOT and creative project manager at Dracma Studios.
Nicholas Penwarden departs Epic Games
Nicholas Penwarden has left Epic Games after 15 years as an engineering fellow and VP of engineering. His previous responsibilities included directing Unreal Engine and managing development of Unreal Engine 4. Penwarden reflected on the engine’s development from UE3 to its current form, the growth of its developer community and the team behind it.
Raptor PR and Yrs Truly make appointments
Raptor PR has appointed Ruzbeh Gazdar as account director and Sophia Hollis as senior account executive. Gazdar previously worked as a senior account manager at GingerMay, while Hollis was an account executive at Zeno London. Joe Kearns has joined Yrs Truly as project manager after working as a producer at ICHI Worldwide.
Jaakko Harlas leaves Supercell
Jaakko Harlas has announced his departure from Supercell, where he served as head of investments for more than 12 years. For professionals following the games industry jobs roundup, his exit is another notable change among senior industry roles this month.
Overall, the July 2026 games industry jobs roundup features leadership moves in publishing, engineering, marketing, live services and studio operations. Checking both new appointments and departures provides a useful view of how teams and organisations across the games sector are changing.
