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2K Games has appointed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently working on the anticipated over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Transition Follows Poor Reception

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to the game's disappointing initial reveal last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified employees about this organizational change through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had revealed the necessity for a clearer direction.

The president noted that the team is now reimagining the project with a renewed approach, aiming to better meet community desires.

A Pattern of Key Acquisitions

The news follows a comparable action taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the entire message from Ismailer's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just finished your gathering - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Previously I sent you all a note, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most motivated and creative creators we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to endure.”

With your dedication and versatility, especially over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was informative. It validated the promise of a action-packed game but told us we still had work to do. It uncovered the necessity for a clearer identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the feedback to heart and reimagined Project ETHOS with a revitalized goal - one that’s poised to achieve its ambition to our fans.

The belief in this project grows every day. To boost the outstanding progress you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce the new hire as the new Lead of the team. Following several months of conversations, Ben comes aboard us on next week.

His management and experience in the competitive gaming space is considerable, having devoted the recent years creating and managing some of the most recognizable franchises in gaming, including the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in greeting Ben in the coming days. We are all looking forward to keep witnessing the progress of Project ETHOS in the weeks to come.

David

Background of the New Head

Brinkman currently holds the position of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, before that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 alongside a community playtest. At the time, the developers portrayed the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an thrilling advancement on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to suit your personal playstyle," the official summary explains. "Challenge the rivals with unique powers, risks, and challenges that change every session. Do you safely extract with your collected items? Or go big, put it on the line, and hope your group can secure victory? The option is yours."

Project Ethos has not yet received an official debut schedule or platforms, but fans can anticipate further news as creation continues.