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The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the upcoming third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Shift Comes After Lukewarm Response

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

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure informed staff about this organizational change through an internal memo, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had indicated the requirement for a more defined direction.

Ismailer stated that the team is now overhauling the project with a renewed vision, aiming to better meet player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Acquisitions

The news echoes a similar move taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on an industry veteran from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

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

Dear Team—

I know you all just finished your meeting - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Last time I shared you all a message, I stated the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most dedicated and creative designers we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to continue.”

With your dedication and adaptability, particularly over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.

The gamer responses from last fall’s the game demo was enlightening. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had improvements to make. It revealed the requirement for a clearer vision.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the feedback to consideration and revamped Project ETHOS with a revitalized vision - one that’s positioned to deliver on its potential to our players.

The trust in this project strengthens every day. To further the incredible development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to welcome the new hire as the new Director of the team. After several months of conversations, he starts with us on the specified date.

His management and background in the PVP shooter field is extensive, having spent the past decade and a half developing and managing some of the most popular series in the industry, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in receiving Ben soon. We are all excited to persist seeing the progress of the game in the weeks to follow.

David

Background of the Incoming Leader

The appointee currently holds the position of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Game Information and Concept

The upcoming game was revealed in October 2024 in conjunction with a community playtest. At the time, the developers portrayed the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling evolution on the style."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the description explains. "Face the competition with new abilities, stakes, and tests that evolve every round. Will you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or aim high, put it on the line, and hope your team can secure victory? The option is in your hands."

Project Ethos does not have an official launch window or supported systems, but fans can look forward to more updates as development progresses.