The Gaming Giant Hires Apex Legends Lead to Boost Troubled Hero Shooter Ambitious Title

The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently working on the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Follows Mixed Feedback

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' disappointing unveiling last autumn.

Recently, 2K president David Ismailer updated staff about this organizational change through an internal memo, which highlighted that playtesting had indicated the necessity for a more defined vision.

Ismailer stated that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised focus, aiming to better meet community desires.

Trend of Key Hires

The news echoes a comparable move taken by the publisher in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the full text from the president's announcement:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your town hall - I hope 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 crew. You all are some of the most driven and innovative designers we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re looking forward for that partnership to persist.”

Through your commitment and adaptability, particularly over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.

The gamer responses from last fall’s Project ETHOS playtest was revealing. It validated the appeal of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the necessity for a clearer vision.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the feedback to consideration and revamped Project ETHOS with a renewed vision - one that’s ready to achieve its promise to our audience.

The belief in this project strengthens every day. To boost the remarkable development you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of the team. After some time of talks, he starts with us on next week.

Ben’s guidance and expertise in the competitive gaming genre is extensive, having devoted the past decade and a half producing and leading some of the most popular series in the industry, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in receiving him next week. We are all excited to keep observing the development of the game in the months to ahead.

David

Experience of the Incoming Leader

The appointee currently holds the role of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman previously was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Vision

The upcoming game was revealed in last year together with a public demo. At the time, the developers described the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an exciting advancement on the category."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the official summary reads. "Face the competition with unique powers, risks, and obstacles that change every session. Do you leave securely with your valuable rewards? Alternatively go big, gamble everything, and pray your team can secure victory? The option is yours."

Project Ethos lacks an confirmed release date or supported systems, but enthusiasts can expect additional details as production continues.