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2K Games has welcomed a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to lead the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently working on the forthcoming third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Shift Follows Poor Reception

The new appointee takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's lackluster unveiling last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure informed employees about this organizational change through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had indicated the need for a clearer vision.

The president stated that the developers is now reimagining the project with a revised focus, aiming to satisfy community desires.

Trend of Key Recruitment

This announcement mirrors a similar action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they brought on an industry veteran from Blizzard to assist with the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

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

Team—

I know you all just finished your town hall - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Previously I shared you all a update, I stated the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and creative developers we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re excited for that relationship to persist.”

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

The gamer responses from last fall’s Project ETHOS testing phase was enlightening. It confirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the need for a more distinct brand.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the input to mind and overhauled Project ETHOS with a renewed goal - one that’s ready to deliver on its promise to our fans.

The trust in this project grows every day. To advance the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome the new hire as the incoming Lead of the team. After several months of conversations, he comes aboard us on next week.

Ben’s leadership and expertise in the PVP shooter genre is vast, having spent the past decade and a half producing and overseeing some of the most popular franchises in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in greeting him in the coming days. We are all excited to keep observing the evolution of the game in the months to ahead.

The President

Experience of the New Leader

Brinkman presently serves in the role of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 together with a community playtest. At the time, the developers described the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter 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 live gameplay to suit your personal playstyle," the official summary states. "Face the competition with unique powers, challenges, and challenges that shift every round. Do you leave securely with your collected items? Alternatively go big, put it on the line, and pray your team can earn top ranking? The choice is yours."

Project Ethos lacks an official debut schedule or consoles, but players can anticipate further news as production continues.