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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the development team at their internal studio, which is currently working on the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Shift Comes After Poor Feedback

The new appointee takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster initial reveal last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president David Ismailer notified team members about this decision through an internal memo, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the necessity for a more defined vision.

Ismailer expressed that the team is now refining Project Ethos with a refreshed focus, aiming to better meet gamer demands.

A Pattern of Strategic Acquisitions

The news follows a comparable action taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to contribute to the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the complete message from Ismailer's communication:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just finished your meeting - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and innovative designers we have had the pleasure to work with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to continue.”

With your dedication and versatility, particularly over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The player input from last autumn’s Project ETHOS playtest was informative. It validated the promise of a action-packed game but indicated we still had work to do. It revealed the requirement for a sharper brand.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the input to consideration and overhauled Project ETHOS with a revitalized direction - one that’s positioned to achieve its potential to our players.

The belief in this project grows every day. To further the remarkable advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to announce Ben Brinkman as the new Director of the team. After several months of talks, Ben comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

His guidance and experience in the competitive gaming field is considerable, having spent the recent years producing and overseeing some of the most well-known series in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in receiving Ben soon. We are all looking forward to keep witnessing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the time to ahead.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Head

Brinkman presently serves in the role of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Vision

The upcoming game was unveiled in October 2024 alongside a early access event. At the time, the developers portrayed the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative step forward on the genre."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the description explains. "Face the opponents with unique powers, stakes, and challenges that shift every session. Do you leave securely with your collected items? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and hope your squad can secure victory? The option is yours."

Project Ethos does not have an announced debut schedule or supported systems, but enthusiasts can anticipate more updates as production advances.