adminThis games industry jobs roundup covers October appointments and promotions across game development, publishing, marketing, and community teams. It includes leadership changes at UKIE and Playstack, as well as new roles at studios and companies including Supercell, Google, and CD Projekt Red. For readers following industry careers, the previous roles listed below offer useful context on the experience behind each move.
Image credit: Playstack
Appointments and transitions are collected in periodic roundups. When tracking a move, note both the person’s new position and their previous role to understand the experience they bring.
Games industry jobs roundup: October appointments
Harvey Elliott elected chair of UKIE
Playstack CEO and founder Harvey Elliott has been appointed chair of UKIE, succeeding Ustwo Games CEO Maria Sayans, who had held the position since 2024. Elliott joined UKIE’s board in 2025.
In the role, he will lead the organisation as it works on its five-year Supercharged strategy. The strategy aims to support games businesses and strengthen the UK games industry’s economic, cultural, and international impact. Elliott has highlighted the UK’s creative and technical talent and its opportunity to build on its global standing.
Chris Collins joins Diva Agency
Diva Agency has named Chris Collins business development manager and added him to its senior leadership team. Collins was previously director of games and strategy at Ignition Creative. Earlier, he spent nine years at Once Upon a Time and MJ Media in business director roles, including three years as managing partner for games and media.
His background spans strategy and planning across paid media and integrated agencies, experience relevant to business development and client marketing work.
Kelly Bennett appointed at Pantaloon
Kelly Bennett has become brand and marketing manager at Pantaloon after a short-term contract. She previously worked at Rockstar Games as international digital marketing manager, having joined the company as digital asset manager in 2022.
Chase Chen joins Google’s games team
Chase Chen has been appointed business development lead, games, at Google. His previous roles include marketing director and US site manager at Lilith Games, as well as senior game product manager at Tencent.
Giorgia Arena joins Supercell
Giorgia Arena has joined Supercell as art director for Merge Mansion. She previously worked as lead artist at Metacore and spent nine years at King in senior art and design positions.
Pelinsu Arslan appointed at Rollic
Pelinsu Arslan has taken a product manager role at Rollic. Arslan previously held product manager positions at Skyloft and BoomBit.
Sophie Walker joins Rebel Wolves
Writer Sophie Walker has joined Rebel Wolves’ writing and narrative team. She previously worked at Glowmade as a narrative designer and game writer.
Ben Smith joins Sony Interactive Entertainment
Ben Smith has been appointed games marketing specialist for PlayStation at Sony Interactive Entertainment. Smith previously worked as marketing manager and project manager at Indie.io and is also a partner at LambSmith PR.
Jesse Kroon promoted at Scopely
Jesse Kroon has been promoted to lead game designer on Monopoly Go at Scopely. He joined the company as a senior game designer in August 2024 and previously held game designer and senior game designer roles at Product Madness.
Alice Terrett joins Behaviour Interactive
Alice Terrett has joined Behaviour Interactive as associate director of community on 7 Ways to Die. She is also community and creator lead at Haven Studios. Her earlier experience includes working at Ubisoft as product marketing manager on Assassin’s Creed.
Murray Pannell named head of publishing at Steel City Interactive
Steel City Interactive has appointed Murray Pannell head of publishing. His career includes SVP and CMO roles at Build a Rocket Boy, PlayFusion, and Everreach, as well as marketing director positions at Ubisoft and PlayStation. He was also VP Publishing Europe at 2K and held senior management roles at Electronic Arts and Xbox.
Pannell will lead the company’s publishing work. Steel City Interactive has said the appointment supports its ambitions for Undisputed 2 and its focus on authenticity, artistry, and evolution in interactive sports.
Dean Anderson joins MV&P
Dean Anderson has joined partner-led firm MV&P to lead partnerships and go-to-market work across the APAC region. He previously served as group commercial director at Dialect and has worked with Epic Games, Electronic Arts, Saber Interactive, and THQ Nordic on launches, brand integrations, and partnership deals.
His experience across commercial gaming work and market launches provides relevant background for a role focused on partnerships across the region.
Catherine Bygrave
Catherine Bygrave appointed at Code Wizards Group
Catherine Bygrave has become head of commercial at Code Wizards Group. She previously served as business development director at Sumo Games and spent a decade at Activision working across Call of Duty and Destiny. Her other senior commercial and strategic roles include positions at Gfinity, Humble Games, and Sumo Digital.
Michał Platkow-Gilewski promoted at CD Projekt Red
Michał Platkow-Gilewski has been promoted to vice president of global communications and marketing at CD Projekt Red. He joined the company as head of marketing in 2011 and has since held roles including head of global communications, director of public relations and global communication, and vice president of PR and communication.
Daniel Smith joins Playground Games
Daniel Smith has been appointed executive producer at Playground Games. He previously held the same title at Turn 10 Studios, overseeing large-scale product development and production operations. Smith also spent nine years at Xbox Game Studios Publishing as a senior producer and games producer, managing the Xbox publishing portfolio.
Gero Micciché joins 2K and Hangar 13 Games
Gero Micciché has been appointed lead producer at 2K and Hangar 13 Games. His previous experience includes working as development director on Battlefield at Criterion Games, alongside development director and producer roles at Electronic Arts, Codemasters, and Gameloft.
Tymon Smektala joins Broken Mirror Games
Bloober Team has appointed Tymon Smektala executive producer at its curated horror imprint, Broken Mirror Games. Smektala spent 13 years at Techland, most recently as franchise director, after joining the company as a game designer in 2013. In his new position, he will lead the imprint, shape its creative direction and portfolio, and work with external studios on horror projects.
Vik Agarwal joins Roblox
Vik Agarwal has joined Roblox’s product team. He previously worked as a product leader at Meta and lead product manager at Zynga, and held product manager roles at Electronic Arts and Amazon Game Studios.
Daniel Loane appointed at Zynga
Daniel Loane has become principal game designer at Zynga. He previously served as senior game designer at Fortis Games and held senior roles at ZeniMax Online Studios, NetherRealm Studios, and King.
What this games industry jobs roundup shows
The October moves span executive leadership, publishing, product development, art, marketing, and narrative design. When reviewing career opportunities or industry changes, compare the responsibilities of a new position with the appointee’s earlier experience: that context can help clarify how teams are building expertise across different parts of the games business.
