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2K Games 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 anticipated over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Follows Lukewarm Reception

Brinkman steps into the role of studio head at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing initial reveal last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated staff about this decision through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had shown the requirement for a clearer vision.

The president stated that the developers is now reimagining Project Ethos with a refreshed vision, aiming to satisfy community desires.

A Pattern of Strategic Recruitment

This announcement follows a similar move taken by the publisher in the summer, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock development group.

Below is the complete message from the president's communication:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just completed your gathering - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Previously I sent you all a note, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and creative developers we have had the pleasure to work with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to persist.”

Through your commitment and adaptability, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS playtest was enlightening. It affirmed the promise of a action-packed game but made clear we still had work to do. It revealed the requirement for a more distinct vision.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the input to heart and revamped Project ETHOS with a renewed goal - one that’s poised to deliver on its promise to our audience.

The trust in this project increases every day. To further the outstanding advancement you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce Ben Brinkman as the latest Lead of 31st Union. Following several months of talks, he comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

His leadership and background in the PVP shooter field is vast, having dedicated the past decade and a half producing and leading some of the most popular series in gaming, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in greeting him in the coming days. We are all eager to persist seeing the progress of the game in the months to ahead.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Leader

Brinkman presently serves in the role of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in last year together with a community playtest. At the time, the developers presented the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an innovative step forward on the category."

"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. "Take on the opponents with new abilities, risks, and obstacles that evolve every match. Will you leave securely with your collected items? Alternatively take a risk, put it on the line, and hope your team can achieve the highest spot? The option is yours."

Project Ethos lacks an confirmed release date or consoles, but players can look forward to more updates as production progresses.