Mobile Games Industry Sees Executive Shifts in September
A wave of executive changes swept the mobile games sector in September 2026, with high-profile departures at Rovio and Apple, leadership transitions at
The mobile games industry experienced significant personnel changes in September 2026. The month saw executive departures, leadership transitions, and a host of new appointments at companies including Rovio, King, Trailmix, and Apple.
End of an Era at Rovio and Trailmix
Rovio's VP of global marketing, Luis de la Camara, is leaving the company after five years. His departure follows a move to the Netherlands due to his wife's work. Camara, who described Rovio as career-defining, played a key role in sustaining the Angry Birds brand. He led global marketing across product, performance marketing, and community management.
"Laura has several times moved with me abroad... So it's my turn to return the favour," Camara stated on LinkedIn. His resignation was decided in late June, with his tenure ending in the coming weeks.
Separately, Trailmix founder and CEO Carolin Krenzer has transitioned to the role of executive chair after nearly nine years leading the company. She will no longer run daily operations but remains committed to its success. Krenzer established Trailmix in late 2017. She has selected James Nicholas, the company's COO for the past three and a half years, as the new CEO. Krenzer hired Nicholas in 2023, reportedly "knowing he'd be a great person to succeed me one day." The studio's flagship title, Love & Pies, recently celebrated its fifth anniversary.
New Directors and Growth Leads
Marc Cartwright has joined Funday Games as its new game director. He brings two decades of experience from roles at Jagex, CI Games, and Tarsier Studios. His career spans work on titles for Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and browser platforms. At Funday, he will lead a brand-new project.
Samantha Benjamin has moved from Supersonic to Tripledot Studios, taking the position of VP of growth. She spent almost nine years under the Unity and ironSource umbrella in various growth and monetization roles. The last few years at Supersonic have been an incredible learning journey, Benjamin posted. She looks forward to building Supersonic and taking the studio to the next level with Tripledot.
Promotions and High-Level Appointments
Several internal promotions were announced. At King, Erik Meurk was promoted to senior software engineer focusing on Minecraft Blast. Andreas Jansson moved from director of engineering to senior director of engineering. Stephanie A was promoted to principal data analyst. At Rovio, Wille Miljas was promoted to director of product marketing. After a summer internship, Rahamat Zaman was appointed software engineer 1 at Xsolla.
Anastasia Kuprina, recently a senior product manager at WildCard Games, became an ambassador for Women in Games. Matthieu Jacquier was appointed president of 52 Entertainment, leading its B52, Virtual Regatta, and Squared divisions. He joins from Auditeur IHEDN, with experience from Match Group.
Industry-Wide Hiring Spree
A series of new hires were reported across the sector. The list includes moves to major publishers and tech firms.
Other notable appointments include Salman Dar as Apple's head of government affairs for Pakistan and Borja Guillan returning to King as a senior creative director in Stockholm. Jamie Kampel joined Sony Pictures Entertainment as EVP, head of consumer products and licensing.
Major Leadership Changes
Brian Ward is stepping down as CEO of Savvy Games Group after five years. During his tenure, he oversaw investments and acquisitions, including the $4.9 billion acquisition of Scopely. Ward informed staff that the time had come for new leadership. Turqi Alnowaiser, deputy governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, will serve as interim acting CEO.
Moloco appointed Rachel Glaser to its board of directors. She is the former CFO of Etsy and currently serves on the boards of The New York Times Company and CoStar Group. Moloco has built truly differentiated AI technology, Glaser said, noting she looks forward to helping in the company's next chapter.
In a significant shift for the tech giant, Phil Schiller stepped down from his role at Apple after more than 30 years. He served under both Steve Jobs and Tim Cook.
