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2K Games has welcomed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the forthcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Transition Follows Poor Reception

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's disappointing unveiling last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure notified staff about this strategic move through an official communication, which highlighted that playtesting had shown the necessity for a distinct vision.

Ismailer stated that the team is now refining the project with a renewed focus, aiming to address player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Acquisitions

This announcement mirrors a comparable move taken by the publisher in the summer, when they brought on an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the full text from Ismailer's communication:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just completed your gathering - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a update, I expressed the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and creative designers we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that relationship to persist.”

Given your hard work and versatility, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The gamer responses from last fall’s the game demo was enlightening. It validated the potential of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had work to do. It uncovered the requirement for a more distinct vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You took the feedback to heart and revamped Project ETHOS with a revitalized vision - one that’s positioned to deliver on its ambition to our fans.

Our confidence in Project ETHOS increases every day. To advance the incredible development you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of the team. Following a period of conversations, Ben officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s guidance and expertise in the competitive gaming field is vast, having dedicated the recent years creating and managing some of the most popular franchises in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in greeting Ben next week. We are all eager to continue seeing the development of the game in the months to follow.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Head

Brinkman presently serves in the role of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, before that, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Details and Vision

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 in conjunction with a community playtest. Initially, 31st Union described the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an innovative advancement on the category."

"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 official summary reads. "Challenge the rivals with unique powers, risks, and challenges that shift every session. Will you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively go big, risk it all, and hope your team can earn top ranking? The choice is in your hands."

The game has not yet received an official release date or consoles, but enthusiasts can expect more updates as creation continues.