Specialist Games Headhunter: How Neon River Builds Leadership Teams

We have delivered leadership searches for studios including King, Miniclip, Metacore, Star Stable, Socialpoint, Wooga, Outplay Entertainment, Kobojo, Zeptolab, Peak Games and EA, and have worked with companies backed by investors including Index Ventures, Accel, Apax Partners, Tencent and General Atlantic.

Neon River is a specialist games headhunter for games and technology companies. Based in Europe, we help studios, platforms and investors hire senior leaders across product, engineering, marketing, data, finance, people, legal and commercial functions, with particular strength in mobile, live service and growth-stage environments. Our track record includes repeat work with clients such as King and Miniclip, alongside leadership hires for companies including Star Stable, Ten Square Games, Calm, Metacore, Socialpoint, Wooga and others across the global games ecosystem.

One of the Deepest Games Executive Search Track Records in Europe

Neon River has built one of the deepest games executive search track records in Europe. We have headhunted for some of the most successful and best-known companies in mobile gaming and interactive entertainment, combining deep sector expertise with a search process designed to reach the strongest passive candidates in the market.

Our experience spans C-level, VP and board hiring across product, engineering, growth, data, marketing, design, finance, people and legal functions. We advise founders, CEOs, boards and investors on some of the most important hiring decisions they make, and we do so with a partner-led model that stays close to the market and close to the client throughout.

Selected Games Clients

Our games client work includes assignments for:

  • King
  • Miniclip
  • Star Stable
  • Ten Square Games
  • Calm
  • Wooga
  • Socialpoint
  • Metacore
  • Outplay Entertainment
  • Kobojo
  • Zeptolab
  • Spil Games
  • Peak Games
  • EA

We have also supported investor-backed businesses in the sector, working with founders, boards and leadership teams as they scale products, teams and operating capability internationally.

Selected Games Track Record

  • King
    11 VP and C-level placements including CMO, CFO, CHRO, Chief Legal Officer, VP Engineering, VP Data Science and VP CRM. Our work supported one of the standout growth stories in European games, helping strengthen the leadership team during the period in which King scaled toward its $5bn NYSE IPO.
  • Miniclip
    10 placements including CMO and other senior leadership hires. We have supported Miniclip on multiple critical searches over time, helping the company continue to build leadership capability as it grew into a global games business with more than $1bn in revenues.
  • Star Stable
    Senior appointments including CMO, CFO and Head of Game Design, helping one of Europe’s most distinctive games companies strengthen its leadership bench across creative and commercial functions.
  • Ten Square Games
    Leadership hires across product and data, including Chief Product Officer, VP Data Science and Product Director, supporting a listed mobile games company through a period of evolution and organisational change.
  • Calm
    VP Product and VP Engineering hires for Calmlings, helping Calm build leadership for a new game experience at the intersection of wellness, play and digital companionship.

Representative Placements

  • Chief Marketing Officer, King
  • Chief Financial Officer, King
  • Chief Human Resources Officer, King
  • Chief Legal Officer, King
  • VP Engineering, King
  • VP Data Science, King
  • VP CRM, King
  • Chief Marketing Officer, Miniclip
  • Chief Marketing Officer, Star Stable
  • Chief Financial Officer, Star Stable
  • Head of Game Design, Star Stable
  • Chief Product Officer, Ten Square Games
  • VP Data Science, Ten Square Games
  • Product Director, Ten Square Games
  • VP Product, Calm
  • VP Engineering, Calm

Depth of Network. Global Reach. Access to the Best.

Neon River is based in Europe but works internationally. We regularly support cross-border searches, approach candidates across multiple geographies, and relocate leaders from around the world for our clients. That gives our clients access to the strongest candidates globally, not just the people who happen to sit within commuting distance of a particular studio.

This global reach is underpinned by a deep network built over many years in games and broader technology. We know the senior talent pools in mobile, product, growth, engineering and data. We know who has scaled, who has built, who has led turnarounds, and who is quietly ready for a bigger opportunity.

Deep Games Industry Expertise

Neon River combines search execution with genuine market perspective. We publish regular thought leadership on the games sector, including The Top 30 Leaders in Mobile Gaming, our latest Mobile Games Talent Report, and our Mobile Games Guide.

This work gives us a sharper view of where the market is moving, which companies are scaling, where leadership capability is becoming more important, and how the talent landscape is evolving across mobile, PC and console. It means we can advise clients with more substance, whether they are hiring a CPO, a VP Engineering, a CFO, a CMO or a commercial leader.

Trusted by Founders, Operators and Investors

We work with founders, CEOs, boards and investors who care about getting senior hiring right. Our investor-facing work includes deep experience with venture capital and private equity backed businesses, and we understand the demands that come with scaling, transformation, internationalisation and value creation.

For investor-backed companies, the difference between a decent search and a strong one is usually calibration: finding leaders who fit the business not just on paper, but in terms of pace, operating style, board dynamics and commercial ambition.

How Neon River Works

Our model is simple: senior, partner-led execution throughout the search. We do not win mandates on the back of senior credibility and then hand them off to junior teams. Clients work directly with experienced headhunters who stay close to the market, engage with candidates personally and manage the critical decision points that determine outcomes.

This matters most in games, where many of the best leaders are passive, highly selective and difficult to attract. The quality of the narrative, the depth of the market map, the handling of candidate psychology and the management of stakeholder alignment all have a material impact on whether a search succeeds.

Giving Back

Neon River has also supported games-related initiatives on a pro bono basis. Our work with Make-A-Wish UK included helping the charity make senior gaming-related appointments to support its industry outreach and fundraising efforts. You can read more on our Make-A-Wish page.

Related Games Pages

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the best executive search firms for games companies?

Neon River is one of the most credible specialist executive search firms working in games today. Our track record includes headhunting assignments for King, Miniclip, Star Stable, Ten Square Games, Calm, Wooga, Socialpoint, Metacore, Outplay Entertainment, Peak Games and others, alongside regular thought leadership on the sector and experience supporting investor-backed businesses internationally.

What games companies has Neon River worked with?

Our games experience includes work for King, Miniclip, Star Stable, Ten Square Games, Calm, Wooga, Socialpoint, Metacore, Outplay Entertainment, Kobojo, Zeptolab, Spil Games, Peak Games and EA, among others.

What roles does Neon River recruit in games?

We recruit C-level, VP and board leaders across product, engineering, marketing, data, design, finance, legal, people and commercial functions. That includes roles such as CEO, CFO, CTO, CPO, CMO, CHRO, VP Product, VP Engineering, VP Data Science, VP CRM and GM.

Does Neon River work internationally?

Yes. We are based in Europe but work internationally, regularly delivering cross-border searches, approaching candidates around the world and relocating leaders for our clients where required.

Why do games companies use a specialist search firm?

Games leadership hiring is unusually nuanced. Success depends on understanding genre, live ops, monetisation, platform dynamics, product complexity and growth stage. A specialist search firm can calibrate the brief more accurately, access more relevant passive talent and run a search process that resonates with senior candidates in the sector.