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2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Transition Comes After Lukewarm Response

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

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure notified team members about this strategic move through an internal memo, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the need for a distinct direction.

Ismailer noted that the developers is now reimagining Project Ethos with a refreshed approach, aiming to satisfy gamer demands.

Trend of Strategic Recruitment

This announcement echoes a similar step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

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

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just completed your meeting - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Previously I shared you all a update, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most driven and innovative developers we have had the chance to work with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to endure.”

Through your commitment and versatility, especially over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was informative. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but made clear we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the requirement for a more distinct identity.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve advanced. You took the input to mind and revamped Project ETHOS with a revitalized vision - one that’s ready to achieve its potential to our fans.

The trust in this project increases every day. To boost the remarkable progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to welcome Ben Brinkman as the new Lead of the team. After some time of discussions, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

His leadership and experience in the PVP shooter field is considerable, having spent the past decade and a half developing and leading some of the most popular titles in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in receiving him soon. We are all looking forward to continue witnessing the progress of Project ETHOS in the weeks to ahead.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Head

The appointee currently serves in the position of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at major gaming companies in various production roles on the iconic franchise games, and, before that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Details and Vision

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 alongside a public demo. At the time, the developers described the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative advancement on the style."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in real-time to match your preferred approach," the official summary explains. "Face the opponents with new abilities, challenges, and tests that evolve every match. Will you withdraw carefully with your hard-earned loot? Or go big, put it on the line, and pray your group can secure victory? The decision is yours."

Project Ethos lacks an confirmed release date or supported systems, but players can look forward to more updates as creation continues.