April 2025's Movers and Shakers: New CEOs at Discord and GoodVille, Supercell appoints head of marketing, and more

To keep you up to date with the latest movers and shakers in the mobile games industry, we've put together a regular roundup of the latest hires, promotions and, in some cases, exits.

If you've recently joined a company or bagged a big promotion, or you're an employer that's just made a hire, drop us an email at news@pocketgamer.biz.

New CEOs at Discord and GoodVille

Discord CEO Jason Citron has stepped down from the top job at the company he founded as it heads closer to an expected IPO.

He’s been replaced at the messaging platform by ex-King president and Activision Blizzard vice chairman Humam Sakhnini, who will officially start as CEO on April 28th.

Citron will remain at the firm as a member of the board of directors and advisor to the new chief exec.

In a blog post, Citron noted that the company has hired a new CEO to lead it through "our next chapter of growth and someday becoming a public company”.

“From the very beginning, our mission has been about bringing people together around games,” said Citron. “It’s a mission I’ve dedicated my career to, and I'm confident that passing the torch to Humam is the right evolution for Discord's future. 

“His deep gaming industry expertise and proven track record of scaling businesses while fostering genuine friendships through play and shared experiences positions us perfectly for our next phase of growth.”

Swiss mobile games developer GoodVille has named Katerina Dudinskaya as its new CEO.

She previously served for four years as the company’s CMO. Dudinskaya replaces chief exec and co-founder Alexey Meleshkevich, who will take on the role of CPO.

Dudinskaya will be responsible for leading a fully remote team of more than 80 staff across development, live ops, marketing and player support.

Duties will also include growing the Goodville team, focusing on product innovations, and expanding the company's product, live ops and design operations.

"Goodville isn’t just a game, it's a platform that helps people feel better every day," said Dudinskaya. "I’m honoured to lead a team so passionate about purpose-driven innovation, and I believe we’re just getting started."

New Aonic and IGDA Foundation recruits

Swedish games group Aonic has recruited ex-Larian UK studio head Arthur Mostovoy as its first-ever head of games.

He will be responsible for the company’s entire portfolio across all platforms, working with the group’s studios across Europe and North America, including subsidiaries like OtherSide Entertainment and Red Games Co.

As well as helping Larian grow its Guildford-based studio to more than 80 staff during his six-year tenure, Mostovoy has previously worked at mobile publisher Azur Games as producer and GM, as well as War Robots studio Pixonic.

"After nearly six amazing years at Larian, I can’t wait to dive into this new role at Aonic," he said.

"There’s so much to be excited about happening throughout our teams, across platforms, audiences and genres. We are entering a golden age of indies and small teams, resulting in some incredibly creative games.

"The market share for small and indie teams is growing year on year, and this will continue. My role at Aonic is to support these teams in creating and delivering creative titles that can make a major impact."

The IGDA Foundation has named Microsoft veteran Shannon Loftis as the new chair of its board of directors.

Previous incumbent Ed Fries has stepped down from the role after two years, though will remain on the board.

The IGDA Foundation is a global charity charged with supporting underrepresented developers.

"I’m thrilled and honoured to lead this board and to work closely with the foundation and with the IGDA," said Loftis.

"The IGDA Foundation is one of the most inclusive, intersectional, globally relevant and effective organisations in game development and I believe our mission is more crucial today than ever before."

Movers at Supercell, Epic, Alinea Analytics and more

Brawl Stars developer Supercell has named Rob Lowe as its new head of marketing. He joined the company in 2023 working in marketing leadership on new games.

Gamesbeat has spun out as an independent company, led by CEO Gina Joseph and editorial director Dean Takahashi.

East Side Games co-founder Joshua Nilson is now the lead at Maskwa Games, making Roblox games about Metis life and culture.

Ex-Samsung product strategy manager Carson Taylor has joined Epic Games as senior product manager for Fortnite growth and creator monetisation.

Former AppQuantum head of business development and PR Victoria Beliaeva has joined market intelligence provider AppMagic as head of PR and partnerships.

Ex-MIDiA Research lead games analyst Rhys Elliott has been recruited as the head of market analysis at games data platform Alinea Analytics.

Gear Games’ Emrecan Adalısoy has been promoted to the position of senior product manager at the developer, which has worked on titles such as WWE Champions and Legends of Runeterra.

Hires and promotions at Raptor PR, Sensor Tower, TikTok, and more

B2B tech PR agency Raptor PR has hired former Milk & Honey PR client manager Emma Weeks as an account manager.

The agency has also promoted Joshua Callaghan to junior account manager after three years at the company.

The Nigeria Esports Federation has appointed Ikechukwu Okoye as a board member. He previously worked as the organisation’s secretary general.

Market intelligence provider Sensor Tower has promoted head of investor sales Andrew Sprague as its new VP of sales.

Sensor Tower has also promoted Lexi Wei to the position of gaming analyst lead at the company. She previously worked as a game analyst for the APAC region.

Video sharing platform TikTok has appointed Vincent Bernardin as its head of gaming for France and central Europe. He was previously brand partnership manager in the company’s games vertical.

RuneScape studio Jagex has promoted Steven Tarry to product and marketing director. He has worked at the developer since 2021, most recently serving as marketing director.