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2K Games has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently developing the anticipated over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Comes After Lukewarm Response

Brinkman assumes the role of studio head at the development studio following the departure of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's underwhelming unveiling last autumn.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure updated employees about this decision through an internal memo, which highlighted that playtesting had indicated the requirement for a clearer game identity.

The president noted that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a renewed vision, aiming to better meet community desires.

Trend of Key Recruitment

This announcement follows a comparable move taken by the publisher in August, when they hired Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock development group.

Here is the entire content from the president's memo:

Team—

I understand you all just completed your town hall - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the positive developments. Last time I shared you all a note, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented designers we have had the chance to work with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to persist.”

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 enlightening. It affirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had work to do. It uncovered the requirement for a sharper brand.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You took the criticism to heart and revamped Project ETHOS with a refreshed goal - one that’s ready to deliver on its potential to our audience.

Our confidence in this project grows every day. To boost the outstanding progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to announce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Studio Head of 31st Union. Following some time of conversations, Ben starts with us on next week.

His management and expertise in the competitive gaming genre is vast, having spent the last 15 years creating and overseeing some of the most well-known series in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in welcoming Ben next week. We are all excited to keep seeing the evolution of the game in the months to follow.

The President

Experience of the New Leader

Brinkman presently holds the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse production roles on the iconic franchise games, and, earlier in his career, had stints at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Concept

The upcoming game was announced in October 2024 in conjunction with a community playtest. Initially, the developers presented the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an exciting evolution on the style."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the description reads. "Take on the rivals with fresh skills, risks, and challenges that evolve every session. Will you withdraw carefully with your valuable rewards? Or take a risk, risk it all, and trust your team can earn top ranking? The choice is up to you."

Project Ethos does not have an confirmed launch window or platforms, but players can look forward to more updates as development continues.