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2K Games has appointed a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Change Comes After Lukewarm Feedback

The new appointee takes on the role of studio head at the development studio following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing unveiling last autumn.

Recently, 2K president a key figure informed employees about this strategic move through an official communication, which stressed that early feedback sessions had indicated the need for a clearer game identity.

Ismailer expressed that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised vision, aiming to satisfy community desires.

Trend of Strategic Hires

The news mirrors a comparable step taken by 2K Games in August, when they brought on an industry veteran from Blizzard to assist with the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the entire message from the president's memo:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just finished your town hall - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a message, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most driven and talented developers we have had the chance to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to persist.”

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

The community feedback from last autumn’s the game playtest was revealing. It validated the potential of a action-packed game but indicated we still had refinements needed. It revealed the need for a clearer identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You took the input to mind and overhauled the title with a renewed direction - one that’s poised to fulfill its potential to our audience.

The trust in this project strengthens every day. To further the remarkable progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to announce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of the team. Following some time of discussions, he officially joins us on next week.

His leadership and expertise in the PVP shooter genre is extensive, having spent the last 15 years creating and managing some of the most popular franchises in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in welcoming Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to continue observing the progress of the game in the weeks to come.

David

Experience of the Incoming Leader

The appointee presently holds the position of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He previously was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Game Information and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in October 2024 in conjunction with a public demo. Then, the developers portrayed the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an thrilling step forward on the category."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the game's pitch explains. "Take on the competition with unique powers, risks, and tests that shift every match. Will you withdraw carefully with your collected items? Or go big, put it on the line, and trust your squad can earn top ranking? The choice is in your hands."

The game lacks an announced debut schedule or consoles, but fans can anticipate more updates as creation continues.