The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the anticipated third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.
Leadership Transition Comes After Lukewarm Response
The new appointee takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' underwhelming initial reveal last autumn.
Recently, 2K president a key figure updated employees about this organizational change through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had revealed the need for a distinct direction.
Ismailer noted that the team is now refining the project with a refreshed vision, aiming to address player expectations.
A Pattern of Key Hires
This announcement follows a similar step taken by 2K Games in August, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise development group.
Here is the complete text from Ismailer's communication:
Team—
I know you all just wrapped up your meeting - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Previously I shared you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and creative creators we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that partnership to continue.”
Given your hard work and flexibility, particularly over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.
The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was enlightening. It affirmed the promise of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the need for a sharper identity.
The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You took the feedback to consideration and reimagined the title with a renewed direction - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our audience.
Our confidence in this project increases every day. To further the remarkable development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce the new hire as the incoming Lead of the team. Following several months of conversations, Ben comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.
His management and experience in the competitive gaming genre is vast, having spent the recent years producing and overseeing some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.
Please join me in welcoming Ben next week. We are all eager to persist witnessing the evolution of the game in the time to follow.
The President
Background of the Incoming Leader
The appointee currently serves in the role of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, before that, had assignments at other industry leaders.
Title Details and Vision
Project Ethos was unveiled in last year in conjunction with a community playtest. Initially, the developers presented the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative advancement on the genre."
"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the official summary explains. "Challenge the competition with fresh skills, challenges, and tests that shift every round. Will you withdraw carefully with your valuable rewards? Or take a risk, put it on the line, and hope your squad can secure victory? The choice is yours."
Project Ethos lacks an announced debut schedule or consoles, but players can look forward to more updates as creation progresses.
