The new year is already off to a busy start for the mobile gaming industry. January 2026 has brought a fresh round of leadership changes, with key executives taking on new roles and industry veterans moving between studios. Here’s a clear breakdown of who moved where this month.
- Hannes Seifert – Co-CEO at Crytek
- Antti Ruonala – Chief Operating Officer at Nitro Games
- Milka Tarkiainen – Chief People Officer at Nitro Games
- Jay Kim – General Manager, Korea at Kuro Games
- Shilpa Menon – Head of Business Development at GameRamp
- Douglas P. – Marketing & Growth Lead at Antihero Studios
- Tilen Bobek – Head of Engineering at OUTFIT7
- Jess Overton – VP of Revenue at VYBS
- Adam Snook – SVP, Content Acquisition, Publishing & DMS at Green Man Gaming
- Jori Pearsall – SVP, Games at Niantic
- Conor McLaughlin – Chief Revenue Officer at Aghanim
- Valentina Sevodina – Chief Operating Officer at Aghanim
- Akshit Desai – Director of Business Development at PvX Partners
- Paul Farley – Head of Games at Entity
- Steve Rossi – SVP of Brand Partnerships at BLAST
- Onur Işık – Chief Operating Officer at Loom Games
- Govind Cacciatore – Head of Games at Agora Gaming Partners
- Tom Dore – Managing Director at NSE (National Student Esports)
- Abdulelah Alsharif – Principal at Merak Capital
- Artem Kadykov – VP of Marketing at OUTFIT7
- Carly Taylor – VP of Concepts Lab at Crunchyroll
- Jack Emmert – CEO at Cryptic Studios
- Sergei Vasiuk – Product Director, Monetization at Xsolla
Hannes Seifert – Co-CEO at Crytek
Hannes Seifert will join Crytek’s leadership team as Co-CEO, bringing nearly four decades of industry experience from companies including Rockstar Games, Deep Silver, IO Interactive, and Riot Games. He will work alongside founder and Co-CEO Avni Yerli to guide Crytek’s next phase of growth.
Antti Ruonala – Chief Operating Officer at Nitro Games
Antti Ruonala has been appointed Chief Operating Officer at Nitro Games, effective January 1, 2026. He joined the company in 2014 and has since held multiple operational leadership roles, culminating in his new position as COO.
Milka Tarkiainen – Chief People Officer at Nitro Games
Milka Tarkiainen has stepped into the role of Chief People Officer at Nitro Games, also effective January 1, 2026. She has been with the company since 2017, transitioning from marketing into people operations and playing a key role in shaping the company’s HR strategy.
Jay Kim – General Manager, Korea at Kuro Games
Jay Kim has joined Kuro Games as General Manager of Korea, bringing over 15 years of experience in the games and digital entertainment industry. Previously serving as General Manager, Korea at Infold Games, he led market expansion, partnerships, and live operations across the region. In his new role, Jay will focus on localization, community growth, and enhancing service standards for Korean players.
Shilpa Menon – Head of Business Development at GameRamp
Shilpa Menon has joined GameRamp as Head of Business Development, bringing leadership focus to the company’s global growth strategy. In her new role, she will drive partnerships, expand market presence, and strengthen collaborations with developers and publishers worldwide.
Douglas P. – Marketing & Growth Lead at Antihero Studios
Douglas P. has joined Antihero Studios as Marketing & Growth Lead, bringing over 11 years of experience from Supercell. During his time there, he drove global growth for major titles through integrated marketing, platform visibility, and ASO, and previously led market expansion in Brazil, scaling player bases from zero to millions. At Antihero, Douglas will now lead marketing and growth strategies to strengthen the studio’s global presence.
Tilen Bobek – Head of Engineering at OUTFIT7
Tilen Bobek has been promoted to Head of Engineering at OUTFIT7 after serving as Senior Director of Engineering. In his previous role, he led multiple engineering teams, built strong organizational structures, and helped shape company values. Tilen will now oversee the full game development engineering function, focusing on innovation, team growth, and delivering world-class player experiences.
Jess Overton – VP of Revenue at VYBS
Jess Overton has joined VYBS as Vice President of Revenue, bringing over 15 years of experience in business growth, revenue strategy, and industry partnerships. Previously, he served as Senior Director of Business Growth at Unity, where he played a key role in driving the company’s global expansion and revenue performance. At VYBS, Jess will now lead revenue initiatives for the mobile games loyalty platform.
Adam Snook – SVP, Content Acquisition, Publishing & DMS at Green Man Gaming
Adam Snook has joined Green Man Gaming as Senior Vice President of Content Acquisition, Publishing & DMS. He comes from Kwalee, where he served as Head of Business Development, leading global partnerships and publishing growth across mobile, PC, and console.
Jori Pearsall – SVP, Games at Niantic
Jori Pearsall has joined Niantic as Senior Vice President of Games, where he will lead the company’s Tokyo Studio and oversee major live titles such as Pikmin Bloom with Nintendo and Monster Hunter Now with Capcom.
Conor McLaughlin – Chief Revenue Officer at Aghanim
Conor McLaughlin has been promoted to Chief Revenue Officer at Aghanim after joining the company in 2024 as VP of Revenue and Partnerships. He previously drove major revenue growth at Liftoff, Vungle, and Jun Group, building high-impact partnerships and advanced mobile ad strategies.
Valentina Sevodina – Chief Operating Officer at Aghanim
Valentina Sevodina has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer at Aghanim, also after joining the company in 2024 as Head of Operations. She brings strong operational leadership from Xsolla, where she rose from VP to COO while optimizing global payments and game commerce operations.
Akshit Desai – Director of Business Development at PvX Partners
Akshit Desai has joined PvX Partners as Director of Business Development, supporting the company’s mission to provide non-dilutive capital for scaling user acquisition across gaming studios and consumer apps. He comes from X3M, where he served as Director of Growth, and previously spent over two years as Chief Supply Officer at iion, building direct relationships with global game publishers.
Paul Farley – Head of Games at Entity
Paul Farley has joined Entity as Head of Games, bringing leadership experience as co-founder and former CEO of Tag Games. His appointment signals strong growth ambitions for the innovative web gaming platform. In his new role, Paul will lead game strategy, build the development team, and shape how titles are created, distributed, and scaled across the platform.
Steve Rossi – SVP of Brand Partnerships at BLAST
Steve Rossi has joined BLAST as Senior Vice President of Brand Partnerships, bringing over 20 years of experience in global commercial strategy. At the esports and competitive entertainment company, he will lead brand partnerships across Europe and the U.S., overseeing business development and partner management teams.
Onur Işık – Chief Operating Officer at Loom Games
Onur Işık has been appointed Chief Operating Officer at Loom Games, the Istanbul-based mobile studio behind hybrid-casual puzzle experiences. He joins from Ace Games, where he served as Chief of Staff and led operational scaling, global team coordination, and support for hyper-casual hits with millions of downloads.
Govind Cacciatore – Head of Games at Agora Gaming Partners
Govind Cacciatore has joined Agora Gaming Partners as Head of Games, bringing strong business development and publishing experience from Miniclip. In his previous role, he scouted mobile games and studios for publishing, co-development, investments, and M&A, while also driving licensing, charity collaborations, and platform partnerships.
Tom Dore – Managing Director at NSE (National Student Esports)
Tom Dore has been appointed Managing Director of National Student Esports. His appointment marks a new phase in NSE’s partnership with the British Esports Federation. In his new role, Tom will lead efforts to grow university-level esports, including the British University Esports Championship, while strengthening links between education, industry, and the esports community.
Abdulelah Alsharif – Principal at Merak Capital
Abdulelah Alsharif has been promoted to Principal at Merak Capital, following his previous role as Vice President at the firm. He brings strong expertise in deal development, investment analysis, and M&A across high-growth sectors, including technology and gaming.
Artem Kadykov – VP of Marketing at OUTFIT7
Artem Kadykov has been appointed Vice President of Marketing at OUTFIT7, the global mobile entertainment company behind the Talking Tom & Friends franchise. He joins from SYBO, where he led marketing initiatives for successful mobile games.
Carly Taylor – VP of Concepts Lab at Crunchyroll
Carly Taylor has joined Crunchyroll as Vice President of Concepts Lab, where she will lead early-stage innovation from problem discovery through production handoff. In her role, she will set the operating model for 0→1 innovation, oversee the idea-to-pilot funnel, and provide architectural direction across services, data, AI, and tooling.
Jack Emmert – CEO at Cryptic Studios
Jack Emmert has returned to Cryptic Studios as CEO, reassuming leadership of the studio behind Star Trek Online following its divestment from Embracer. A co-founder of Cryptic since 2000, Emmert has previously served as CCO, COO, and CEO, bringing decades of experience with the studio.
Sergei Vasiuk – Product Director, Monetization at Xsolla
Sergei Vasiuk has joined Xsolla as Product Director for the Monetization team, where he will lead the growth of the Xsolla Web Shop and the LiveOps Management Suite. He brings over 25 years of industry experience, including a 13-year tenure at Wargaming as Director of LiveOps, where he scaled player engagement and monetization strategies for major titles.
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