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2K Games has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently developing the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Shift Follows Poor Response

Brinkman assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's disappointing early showing last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer informed employees about this strategic move through an official communication, which highlighted that playtesting had indicated the need for a more defined direction.

The president stated that the developers is now refining the project with a refreshed vision, aiming to address gamer demands.

Trend of Strategic Recruitment

The news follows a comparable step taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock development group.

Here is the full text from Ismailer's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just wrapped up your meeting - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Last time I sent you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most motivated and innovative developers we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to persist.”

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

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was informative. It validated the potential of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had work to do. It revealed the requirement for a more distinct identity.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the feedback to consideration and reimagined Project ETHOS with a renewed vision - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our audience.

The belief in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To further the incredible progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce the new hire as the incoming Lead of the team. After some time of conversations, Ben officially joins us on the specified date.

Ben’s guidance and expertise in the PVP shooter space is extensive, having spent the recent years creating and managing some of the most well-known franchises in the industry, such as the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in greeting him next week. We are all looking forward to keep seeing the development of the game in the months to come.

David

Experience of the New Leader

The appointee currently serves in the position of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, prior to that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in last year alongside a public demo. Then, the developers presented the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling step forward 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 states. "Challenge the opponents with unique powers, risks, and tests that evolve every round. Will you withdraw carefully with your valuable rewards? Or aim high, put it on the line, and hope your team can secure victory? The option is up to you."

Project Ethos lacks an announced debut schedule or supported systems, but enthusiasts can anticipate more updates as creation progresses.