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2K Games has welcomed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Comes After Poor Feedback

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to the game's disappointing initial reveal last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated team members about this strategic move through an official communication, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had shown the need for a distinct game identity.

Ismailer expressed that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a refreshed vision, aiming to better meet community desires.

Trend of Key Hires

This announcement follows a comparable move taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the complete text from Ismailer's communication:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just finished your town hall - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the positive developments. Previously I shared you all a note, I stated the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most driven and creative designers we have had the chance to collaborate with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to continue.”

With your dedication and adaptability, particularly over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The player input from last autumn’s the game testing phase was enlightening. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had improvements to make. It revealed the necessity for a more distinct vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You took the criticism to heart and reimagined the title with a renewed vision - one that’s ready to deliver on its potential to our fans.

Our confidence in this project strengthens every day. To advance the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to welcome Ben Brinkman as the incoming Lead of the team. After some time of conversations, he starts with us on next week.

His leadership and experience in the PVP shooter genre is vast, having spent the recent years developing and managing some of the most well-known series in gaming, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in receiving Ben in the coming days. We are all excited to persist observing the evolution of the game in the time to come.

David

Experience of the Incoming Leader

The appointee currently serves in the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, earlier in his career, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in last year alongside a early access event. At the time, 31st Union presented the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative evolution on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the description reads. "Take on the rivals with new abilities, stakes, and obstacles that evolve every round. Will you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and hope your group can earn top ranking? The decision is yours."

Project Ethos has not yet received an confirmed release date or supported systems, but fans can expect more updates as production advances.