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2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently working on the anticipated third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Change Comes After Mixed Reception

Brinkman assumes the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' disappointing initial reveal last autumn.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure informed team members about this strategic move through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had revealed the requirement for a clearer vision.

Ismailer expressed that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to better meet gamer demands.

A Pattern of Strategic Acquisitions

This announcement mirrors a similar step taken by the publisher in the summer, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock development group.

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

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just finished your town hall - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Last time 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 creators we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re eager for that relationship to endure.”

Through your commitment and flexibility, particularly over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was informative. It confirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the necessity for a clearer brand.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You took the criticism to heart and reimagined the title with a refreshed vision - one that’s ready to fulfill its ambition to our audience.

The trust in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To boost the incredible advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to announce the new hire as the latest Studio Head of the team. Following several months of conversations, Ben comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

His leadership and experience in the competitive gaming genre is extensive, having devoted the past decade and a half creating and overseeing some of the most popular series in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in receiving Ben in the coming days. We are all looking forward to persist witnessing the evolution of the game in the time to ahead.

David

Experience of the New Leader

The appointee currently serves in the position of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, before that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 alongside a community playtest. At the time, 31st Union presented the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting 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 match your preferred approach," the official summary explains. "Face the rivals with new abilities, risks, and obstacles that evolve every round. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively go big, risk it all, and trust your squad can secure victory? The decision is yours."

The game has not yet received an confirmed debut schedule or consoles, but enthusiasts can anticipate further news as production progresses.