2K Recruits Popular Battle Royale Developer to Revitalize Troubled Action Game Project Ethos

2K Games has appointed 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 action-packed title known as this innovative game.

Leadership Shift Comes After Poor 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 early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president David Ismailer notified staff 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 team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised focus, aiming to better meet player expectations.

Trend of Strategic Recruitment

This announcement follows a comparable action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

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

Dear Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your town hall - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a note, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most driven and talented designers we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to continue.”

Given your hard work and adaptability, particularly over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was informative. It confirmed the appeal of a action-packed game but indicated we still had refinements needed. It uncovered the requirement for a more distinct vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the input to heart and reimagined Project ETHOS with a refreshed vision - one that’s positioned to deliver on its ambition to our players.

The belief in this project strengthens every day. To further the outstanding progress you’ve made, I’m excited to announce Ben Brinkman as the new Director of the team. Following several months of conversations, he starts with us on next week.

His guidance and background in the competitive gaming field is vast, having devoted the past decade and a half creating and leading some of the most popular titles in the industry, such as the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in welcoming Ben next week. We are all eager to persist observing the development of the game in the months to follow.

The President

Background of the New Head

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

Title Details and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in last year alongside a community playtest. Then, 31st Union presented the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling step forward on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to suit your personal playstyle," the description reads. "Take on the opponents with unique powers, stakes, and tests that evolve every match. Will you leave securely with your valuable rewards? Or aim high, risk it all, and trust your team can earn top ranking? The choice is in your hands."

The game does not have an official launch window or platforms, but enthusiasts can expect more updates as development continues.