The renowned publisher has secured a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to lead the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the forthcoming third-person action-packed title known as this innovative game.
Management Transition Follows Poor Reception
Brinkman takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster initial reveal last fall.
On Wednesday, 2K president David Ismailer informed team members about this organizational change through an official communication, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had revealed the necessity for a more defined game identity.
The president expressed that the developers is now refining the project with a revised approach, aiming to address community desires.
Trend of Strategic Recruitment
This announcement follows a similar move taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock development group.
Below is the full text from Ismailer's memo:
Team—
I know you all just completed your town hall - I hope you’re as thrilled 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 motivated and creative creators we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re excited for that partnership to continue.”
Through your commitment and flexibility, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.
The player input from last autumn’s the game demo was revealing. It confirmed the potential of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the need for a more distinct brand.
The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the feedback to heart and overhauled the title with a refreshed direction - one that’s positioned to fulfill its potential to our players.
The belief in this project strengthens every day. To advance the incredible development you’ve made, I’m excited to announce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Lead of the team. After a period of conversations, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.
His leadership and background in the PVP shooter field is vast, having spent the past decade and a half creating and leading some of the most popular series in gaming, including the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, Apex Legends.
Please join me in welcoming him next week. We are all eager to keep witnessing the progress of Project ETHOS in the weeks to ahead.
The President
Experience of the New Leader
The appointee currently holds the position of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier was employed at major gaming companies in multiple development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Game Information and Concept
The upcoming game was announced in last year alongside a community playtest. Initially, the developers presented the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter 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 real-time to match your preferred approach," the official summary reads. "Take on the opponents with fresh skills, challenges, and tests that evolve every round. Will you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Alternatively aim high, risk it all, and hope your team can achieve the highest spot? The decision is up to you."
Project Ethos does not have an announced debut schedule or platforms, but fans can expect additional details as creation progresses.
