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The renowned publisher has secured a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the development team at their internal studio, which is currently working on the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Change Comes After Mixed Response

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming unveiling last autumn.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure notified staff about this organizational change through an official communication, which highlighted that playtesting had indicated the need for a distinct vision.

Ismailer noted that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised focus, aiming to address gamer demands.

A Pattern of Key Acquisitions

The news echoes a comparable action taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired an industry veteran from Blizzard to assist with the beloved franchise development group.

Here is the entire content from Ismailer's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just wrapped up your town hall - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a message, I expressed the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented creators we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to continue.”

With your dedication and adaptability, especially over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The player input from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was informative. It affirmed the potential of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It revealed the requirement for a sharper vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the feedback to heart and reimagined the title with a renewed goal - one that’s ready to fulfill its ambition to our players.

The belief in Project ETHOS increases every day. To boost the outstanding progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Studio Head of the team. Following some time of conversations, he officially joins us on next week.

Ben’s management and background in the PVP shooter space is extensive, having devoted the past decade and a half developing and overseeing some of the most recognizable titles in gaming, such as the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in receiving him soon. We are all excited to continue seeing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the months to come.

David

Experience of the Incoming Head

Brinkman currently holds the role of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for their flagship title. Brinkman previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, before that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Information and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 in conjunction with a early access event. At the time, the developers portrayed the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an exciting evolution on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the description reads. "Challenge the competition with fresh skills, challenges, and challenges that change every session. Will you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or go big, risk it all, and pray your squad can earn top ranking? The choice is up to you."

Project Ethos has not yet received an announced launch window or consoles, but fans can anticipate further news as creation continues.