2K Games has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the anticipated over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.
Management Shift Comes After Poor Response
The new appointee steps into the role of studio head at 31st Union following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster initial reveal last fall.
Recently, the company's top executive a key figure informed team members about this decision through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had indicated the need for a more defined game identity.
The president noted that the team is now refining the project with a renewed vision, aiming to satisfy community desires.
A Pattern of Strategic Recruitment
This announcement echoes a comparable step taken by the publisher in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.
Below is the complete text from Ismailer's announcement:
Dear Team—
I understand you all just wrapped up your gathering - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Previously I sent you all a note, I stated the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most driven and talented creators we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to persist.”
Through your commitment and flexibility, especially over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.
The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS testing phase was revealing. It affirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It revealed the requirement for a more distinct vision.
The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the feedback to consideration and overhauled the title with a renewed goal - one that’s ready to fulfill its promise to our fans.
The belief in this project grows every day. To boost the remarkable progress you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of the team. Following a period of conversations, Ben officially joins us on Monday, October 20.
Ben’s guidance and experience in the competitive gaming space is considerable, having spent the recent years developing and managing some of the most well-known series in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.
Please join me in welcoming Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to continue witnessing the progress of the game in the time to come.
The President
Background of the Incoming Leader
Brinkman currently holds the role of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Game Details and Vision
Project Ethos was announced in last year in conjunction with a public demo. Then, the developers presented the title as a "no-cost, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling advancement on the genre."
"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch states. "Face the competition with new abilities, risks, and challenges that change every round. Do you safely extract with your collected items? Or go big, put it on the line, and hope your group can earn top ranking? The option is yours."
Project Ethos has not yet received an confirmed debut schedule or consoles, but enthusiasts can look forward to more updates as production advances.
