adminThis February 2026 roundup of games industry appointments covers leadership changes, new creative roles and other career moves across game development, publishing, technology and media. Highlights include Dominic Wheatley becoming chairman of PQube, Ricardo Briceno taking over as Gamefam CEO, and several appointments at CD Projekt Red and other companies.
Games industry appointments: publishing and company leadership
Dominic Wheatley named chairman of PQube
Image credit: PQube
UK games publisher and distributor PQube has appointed industry veteran Dominic Wheatley as chairman. He will work with the leadership team on the company’s strategic development and expansion into new markets.
Wheatley most recently served as chairman of Blaze Entertainment, whose brands include Evercade and HyperMegaTech. Earlier, he was CEO of Catalis Group and chairman of Kuju Entertainment, where he helped expand the business, including bringing UK publisher Curve Games into the group.
He is also known as a co-founder of Eidos and for overseeing the launch of franchises including Tomb Raider and Championship Manager. PQube founder and CEO Dave Pain said Wheatley’s experience building publishing businesses, growing international teams and developing creative partnerships would support the company’s next stage of growth.
Ricardo Briceno becomes Gamefam CEO
Left to right: Joe Ferencz and Ricardo Briceno
Roblox developer Gamefam has appointed Ricardo Briceno as CEO. He succeeds Joe Ferencz, who led the company from its founding in 2019 and will move into a role as founder and executive advisor for strategic growth.
Ferencz will continue working with the Roblox community and support innovation initiatives with developers in the Gamefam Creator Fund. Briceno joined Gamefam in 2021 as chief business officer after more than a decade at Mattel, where his most recent position was vice president of franchise marketing.
Briceno will continue working alongside Ferencz as he takes on his new responsibilities. He said Gamefam’s next phase will focus on growing its advertising and brand partnership platform and strengthening its position across gaming, media and culture.
Steel Media names Dave Bradley general manager
Dave Bradley (left) and Chris James (right). Image credit: Steel Media
Steel Media CEO Chris James is becoming chairman, while COO Dave Bradley has been appointed general manager. James co-founded Pocket Gamer in 2006 and has also served as its managing director and editor-in-chief.
As chairman, James will focus on strategic oversight, international expansion and potential partnerships. Bradley joined Steel Media in 2016 as operations manager and previously worked as a magazine journalist across games, technology, film and television, with nearly 30 years of experience.
Jay Sullivan appointed CEO of Fandom
Media platform Fandom has named Jay Sullivan as its CEO. He brings two decades of experience building and launching widely used technology products. Before joining Fandom, Sullivan was general manager of Twitter’s consumer and revenue products.
His previous roles include executive positions at Facebook, where he led development of its Reality Labs AI Assistant and product teams focused on privacy, integrity and messaging. He has also been chief product officer at Groupon and held senior product, operations and interim CEO roles at Mozilla.
Julien Wera joins Shiro Games as COO
Julien Wera has joined Shiro Games as chief operating officer. His remit includes studio operations, marketing, distribution and publishing for the studio’s own games and third-party titles.
Wera has held leadership roles at Ubisoft, DICE and Paradox Interactive, and co-founded Moon Rover Games, where he was CEO. Shiro’s current slate includes Wartales, SpaceCraft and Farever, as well as Frostrail, which is being developed by partner studio FakeFish Oy for Shiro’s third-party publishing team.
Mike Wallen named president at Testronic
Mike Wallen. Image credit: Testronic
Quality assurance firm Testronic has appointed Mike Wallen as president and main board director. Wallen previously spent a decade at Keywords, most recently as chief commercial officer.
At Testronic, he will help lead strategic expansion across the Americas and work with the global leadership team on relationships with studios and publishers. The company has reorganised its operations around Centres of Excellence in Europe, the US and Asia.
Other business development and operations appointments
- Tobias Sjögren, formerly CEO of Starbreeze Entertainment, has joined Alinea Analytics as head of business development. He was Starbreeze CEO for three years before stepping down in 2024. His other leadership experience includes Paradox Interactive, DICE, Fox in a Box, Stardoll and White Wolf Entertainment.
- Guy DeRosa has become business development director at Dutch studio Abstraction. He previously led business development at Electric Square and Lively, part of Keywords Studios, for almost six years. His earlier roles include head of talent at Studio Gobo and head of business development at Skillsearch.
- Mervin Lee Kwai has joined NC America as vice president of operations. He will help lead the global launch of Aion 2 and oversee the company’s established games, including Aion, Blade & Soul and Lineage 2. His 23 years in the North American and European games industry include leadership roles at Amazon Games, Sony Online Entertainment and Trion Worlds.
Creative and development team changes
Daniel Vávra shifts focus at Warhorse Studios
Daniel Vávra is moving away from his creative director position at Warhorse Studios to focus on transmedia projects. The studio said he has taken a new role within the organisation, working on opportunities such as a film based on Kingdom Come. Vávra co-founded Warhorse with Martin Klíma in 2011.
Lucie Hennet joins CD Projekt Red
Lucie Hennet has joined CD Projekt Red as a cinematic animator. The specific project she will work on has not been announced. The studio has The Witcher 4 and a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, among other projects, in development.
Hennet started her career at Sandfall Interactive as an intern in May 2023, then worked there as a contracted cinematic animator until December 2024. During her time on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, her work included refining body and facial motion capture, managing Xsens data in Unreal Engine 5, supporting capture sessions and helping develop the cinematic animation pipeline.
Christie Golden named principal writer at IO Interactive
IO Interactive has appointed Christie Golden as principal writer. She will collaborate with creative leaders and development teams on narrative direction, storytelling, worldbuilding and character development.
Golden’s work spans games, novels and transmedia projects for franchises including World of Warcraft, Star Wars, Assassin’s Creed and Overwatch. She previously spent six years as a senior writer focused on story and franchise development at Blizzard Entertainment.
Dorian Kieken becomes AI director at CD Projekt Red
Dorian Kieken has joined CD Projekt Red as AI director, responsible for the studio’s AI vision and strategy as it continues work on its Cyberpunk and Witcher franchises.
Kieken spent eight years at BioWare, beginning as a producer in 2007. He co-founded the company’s Montréal studio and later worked as development director and project development director. Earlier in his career, he held design and production roles at Behaviour Interactive, Ubisoft and DC Studios, and advised Insolent Games. In 2017, he founded AI startup AI Redefined, which developed software intended to help people and AI train, collaborate and experiment.
Joshua Mills takes over as Rainbow Six Siege creative director
Joshua Mills has succeeded Alexander Karpazis as creative director of Rainbow Six Siege. Mills joined Ubisoft Montréal in 2015 as a senior level designer on Watch Dogs 2. He later became lead level designer on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and an unannounced project.
He began working on Rainbow Six Siege in 2022 as associate game director and became game director in 2024. Before joining Ubisoft, Mills spent four years at Compulsion Games in level and game design roles. Karpazis said the transition had been planned for more than a year.
Emily Pestell steps into senior communications role at King
Emily Pestell has taken a new position at King as senior brand communications manager. She joined the company in 2022 as part of its global corporate and internal communications team.
Her first games industry role was junior PR manager at Nintendo UK, where she worked for more than five years. Pestell has also held senior public relations roles at Activision Blizzard and Samsung Electronics.
Further appointments and industry moves
Anh-Vu Nguyen promoted at Anybrain; Jayant Uppal joins
AI and data processing company Anybrain has promoted Anh-Vu Nguyen to COO and appointed Jayant Uppal as strategic growth operator. Nguyen was the company’s chief growth officer from 2020 to 2026 and has more than a decade of experience. He previously co-founded advertising technology firm Fidzup and led its operations in Paris and San Francisco.
As COO, Nguyen will oversee daily operations, internal processes and team growth as Anybrain expands internationally. Uppal, who has nine years of digital strategy experience, will work with leadership and engineering teams to communicate the company’s work and help developers understand AI-powered anti-cheat technology.
Markus Wilding joins Make-A-Wish International committee
Industry veteran Markus Wilding has joined Make-A-Wish International’s Infinite Wishes Games Industry Advisory Committee. He will support engagement across global markets and the initiative’s work using gaming to create positive impact.
Wilding has more than 30 years of experience, including senior public relations and communications roles at Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games, Activision and 2K. Most recently, he managed Private Division’s international marketing and communications team for more than seven years.
Craig Cincotta returns to Xbox
Craig Cincotta has returned to Xbox as chief of staff for the office of the CEO. He first joined Microsoft in 2006 as a PR manager and served as Xbox communications director in 2010 before moving into sports marketing. He left his Xbox sports marketing director role in 2013.
After leaving Xbox, Cincotta became senior vice president and head of communications at Porch Group for two years, followed by a senior director of marketing communications role at SAP. He returned to Microsoft in 2016 to lead communications for HoloLens, moved to Azure in 2019, and became general manager of communications for Cloud & AI in 2022.
What these games industry appointments mean
The February 2026 games industry appointments reflect activity across publishing, development, platform operations, analytics and communications. Several moves place experienced leaders in roles focused on international growth, new markets and long-term strategy, while creative appointments strengthen teams working on established game franchises.
For professionals tracking the sector, role changes can offer insight into where companies are investing and how their priorities are evolving. Check official company announcements for further updates, especially where a specific project or the full scope of a new position has not been disclosed.
