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2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Change Follows Lukewarm Feedback

Brinkman takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' lackluster unveiling last autumn.

Recently, 2K president David Ismailer updated team members about this strategic move through an official communication, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had shown the necessity for a distinct vision.

Ismailer expressed that the developers is now refining Project Ethos with a refreshed vision, aiming to better meet player expectations.

Trend of Strategic Hires

This announcement echoes a similar move taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the entire text from the president's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just wrapped up your meeting - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the positive developments. Previously I shared you all a note, I stated the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and talented creators we have had the pleasure to work with - and we’re excited for that partnership to persist.”

Given your hard work and adaptability, particularly over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.

The player input from last autumn’s the game playtest was enlightening. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but told us we still had work to do. It revealed the need for a clearer vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the criticism to mind and revamped Project ETHOS with a refreshed vision - one that’s ready to deliver on its potential to our players.

Our confidence in Project ETHOS grows every day. To boost the incredible progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Lead of the team. Following some time of talks, Ben comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s leadership and background in the competitive gaming field is vast, having dedicated the past decade and a half creating and leading some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in welcoming Ben next week. We are all looking forward to keep seeing the development of the game in the months to ahead.

David

Experience of the New Leader

The appointee currently holds the role of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, before that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Concept

The upcoming game was unveiled in October 2024 together with a early access event. Then, the developers described the title as a "no-cost, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an innovative advancement on the genre."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the official summary states. "Take on the opponents with fresh skills, challenges, and challenges that evolve every match. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively take a risk, gamble everything, and pray your squad can secure victory? The choice is yours."

The game does not have an confirmed release date or consoles, but fans can anticipate more updates as production advances.