adminThis games industry jobs roundup for March 2026 covers senior departures, new appointments and promotions across game development, publishing, marketing and partnerships. Among the notable moves, Lori Wright and Haiyan Zhang have left Microsoft Gaming, while several studios and companies have added experienced leaders to their teams.
Games industry jobs roundup: Microsoft Gaming departures and new appointments
Lori Wright and Haiyan Zhang leave Microsoft Gaming
Image credit: Left to right; Lori Wright, Haiyan Zhang
Lori Wright and Haiyan Zhang have announced their departures from Xbox. Wright served as corporate vice president of partnerships, business development and marketing, overseeing areas that included publishing and platform partnerships, content licensing, developer programs and marketing expansion.
Wright joined Microsoft in 2017 as vice president and general manager of Office 365 marketing. She became a corporate vice president in July 2019. She described her time at the company as a significant adventure and said she was looking forward to exploring what comes next.
Zhang was general manager and partner of Gaming AI. She began her Xbox career in 2013 as innovation director at Xbox Studios before moving to Microsoft Research in the same role. In 2020, she became chief of staff for Microsoft Gaming. After more than a decade at Microsoft, Zhang is moving to Netflix’s gaming team in a role that has not been disclosed.
Steel City Interactive adds three senior directors
Glen O’Connell, James Shaw and Shaun White have joined Steel City Interactive in senior director positions. O’Connell is commercial partnerships director, Shaw is senior production director, and White is brand communications director.
O’Connell has held senior positions in talent relations, licensing and commercial marketing, and previously led athlete, talent and rights-holder partnerships at EA Sports. Shaw most recently led sports platforms across EA Sports’ portfolio, including the EA Sports app and EA Racenet. White has worked at EA Sports and Codemasters on the F1 series.
Steel City Interactive vice president of studio Tim Coupe said the trio’s experience across entertainment, sport and interactive media would support the company’s work on its boxing game. For studios making senior hires, combining commercial, production and communications expertise can help connect development plans with publishing and audience needs.
Magali Huot named director of games marketing at Netflix
Netflix has appointed Magali Huot as director of games marketing for mainstream games. Before joining the company, Huot was senior vice president of global gaming strategy at advertising agency Dentsu. She joined Dentsu in 2023 as vice president of global gaming strategy.
Her earlier roles include director of content marketing at Warner Bros Entertainment Group and head of games publishers at YouTube Gaming. She later became a senior gaming product marketing manager at YouTube. Her experience spans agency strategy, game publishing relationships and product marketing.
Ryan Lastimosa joins Devoted Studios
Ryan Lastimosa has joined Devoted Studios as studio art director. The role involves supporting the studio’s partners with art direction, creative strategy and collaboration across projects.
Lastimosa brings more than two decades of games industry experience, including work on Apex Legends, Call of Duty and Titanfall. He was a founding member of Respawn Entertainment and became creative director in 2022. After leaving Respawn in 2023, he founded Sentinel Games and served as its chief creative officer.
Michael Borras appointed Arc Games vice president of business development
Michael Borras has joined Arc Games as vice president of business development. His responsibilities include new business development and scouting, with a focus on partnerships with independent developers around the world. He also plans to work on platform relationships, investments and mergers and acquisitions.
Borras previously led global business development at Bitwise Academy. He co-founded Rare Earth Games and Iron Mountain Interactive and served as chief executive officer at both developers. Earlier in his career, he spent three years at Rockstar Games in quality assurance and localisation production.
Raptor PR hires and promotes team members
Raptor PR has appointed Khairat Animashaun as junior account executive and promoted two employees. Joshua Callaghan is now account manager, while James Killick has become media relations manager.
Callaghan joined the agency in 2022 as a public relations assistant intern before becoming a full-time junior account executive. Killick joined as a public relations account manager in July 2025, having previously worked as public relations manager at CLPR Agency.
ProbablyMonsters makes three leadership appointments
Image credit: Left to right; Mark Subotnick, Jonathan Lander, David Reid
ProbablyMonsters has appointed Jonathan Lander as chief publishing officer, David Reid as chief marketing officer and Mark Subotnick as chief product officer. Lander previously served as senior vice president of global product and publishing operations at Bethesda Softworks.
Reid has more than 20 years of publishing marketing leadership experience, with senior roles at Behaviour Interactive, CCP Games, Trion Worlds and Xbox Platform Marketing. Subotnick previously led studios at ProbablyMonsters. In his new position, he will help align creative direction and production practices across the company’s portfolio.
CEO and founder Harold Ryan said the appointments would support the company’s plans for a balanced portfolio of original games, with an emphasis on focused execution and supporting development teams.
Timea Edvi joins Kasedo Games as publishing director
Timea Edvi has joined Kasedo Games as publishing director. She has more than 20 years of experience in games publishing, platform partnerships and support for independent developers.
Edvi was previously head of Square Enix Collective, where she oversaw projects and partnerships including PowerWash Simulator and Little Goody Two Shoes. She said she would work with development partners and the wider Kalypso Media Group to help expand Kasedo’s global reach.
Sebastian Nußbaum named chief creative officer at Sixteen Tons
Sixteen Tons has appointed Sebastian Nußbaum as chief creative officer. He previously served as vice president of creative at Wooga and was game director on June’s Journey.
Nußbaum is joining the leadership team to contribute to the next phase of growth for the Emergency franchise. He cited the franchise’s recent progress, the team’s direction and its growth as reasons for joining the company.
Alison Zeng joins Microsoft Gaming in Shanghai
Alison Zeng has joined Microsoft Gaming as strategic partner manager. Based in Shanghai, China, she will manage partnerships across the global gaming ecosystem to support Xbox business growth and content offerings.
Zeng previously worked at Tencent, joining the company in 2021 as developer relations manager for Apple. She later became global strategic partnership development manager for PC and console.
Adam Orth named COO of Midwest Games
Adam Orth has been appointed chief operating officer at Midwest Games. His remit includes company operations, partnerships, business development and developing the company’s network of publishing resources.
Orth has held director and founder roles at startups and global video game, entertainment and technology companies, including Sony Santa Monica, Microsoft, Electronic Arts and LucasArts. Cisco Maldonado and Charlotte Cook have also joined Midwest Games as executive advisors, supporting areas of business strategy. Maldonado previously held senior leadership roles at NetEase Games, Bandai Namco and DC Comics/Warner Bros. Cook was global commercial director at Team17.
Arah Collins becomes senior narrative designer at Escape Velocity Entertainment
Arah Collins has joined Escape Velocity Entertainment as senior narrative designer. Collins previously worked at Supermassive Games, first as a junior narrative designer and later as a narrative designer, contributing to House of Ashes and Little Hope.
Collins also worked as a narrative designer at DigixArt Studio on its upcoming title, Tides of Tomorrow.
What these games industry appointments show
This games industry jobs roundup highlights movement across publishing, marketing, business development, production and creative leadership. For professionals tracking the sector, role titles can indicate where companies are investing in partnerships, portfolio management and development support. When assessing a new appointment, look at both the person’s remit and their previous experience to understand how the change may affect the company’s strategy.
