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2K Games has appointed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Transition Comes After Poor Reception

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster unveiling last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure informed employees about this organizational change through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had indicated the necessity for a more defined direction.

Ismailer expressed that the developers is now refining Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to address community desires.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

The news mirrors a comparable step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to assist with the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the entire content from Ismailer's communication:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just completed your gathering - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Previously I sent you all a note, I expressed the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and talented developers we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to continue.”

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

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was revealing. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the need for a clearer vision.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the feedback to consideration and revamped the title with a renewed goal - one that’s positioned to fulfill its ambition to our fans.

The belief in Project ETHOS increases every day. To further the outstanding progress you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce Ben Brinkman as the latest Lead of the team. After a period of discussions, Ben officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s leadership and expertise in the competitive gaming field is vast, having devoted the past decade and a half producing and managing some of the most well-known series in the industry, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in greeting Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to persist observing the development of Project ETHOS in the weeks to ahead.

The President

Background of the New Head

Brinkman presently holds the position of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier worked at major gaming companies in various production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, prior to that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in last year alongside a community playtest. Initially, the developers described the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an innovative advancement on the style."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in real-time to match your preferred approach," the official summary reads. "Challenge the rivals with unique powers, risks, and challenges that evolve every session. Do you withdraw carefully with your valuable rewards? Or take a risk, risk it all, and hope your group can earn top ranking? The option is in your hands."

Project Ethos has not yet received an announced debut schedule or platforms, but players can expect more updates as development progresses.