The Gaming Giant Recruits Popular Battle Royale Developer to Rescue Challenged Action Game Project Ethos

2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the development team at their internal studio, which is currently working on the upcoming over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Transition Follows Mixed Feedback

The new appointee steps into the role of studio head at 31st Union following the exit of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's underwhelming initial reveal last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure updated team members about this organizational change through an official communication, which stressed that early feedback sessions had indicated the need for a clearer game identity.

The president noted that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised focus, aiming to satisfy community desires.

Trend of Key Recruitment

This announcement echoes a similar action taken by the publisher in August, when they hired Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to assist with the BioShock development group.

Here is the complete message from the president's communication:

Team—

I know 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 message, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented developers we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to persist.”

Given your hard work and versatility, especially over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.

The gamer responses from last fall’s the game testing phase was informative. It validated the promise of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had improvements to make. It revealed the necessity for a clearer vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the criticism to mind and overhauled the title with a renewed goal - one that’s positioned to deliver on its promise to our audience.

The belief in Project ETHOS increases every day. To further the remarkable progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to welcome Ben Brinkman as the new Studio Head of the team. After several months of conversations, Ben officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s management and expertise in the PVP shooter field is considerable, having spent the recent years producing and managing some of the most well-known titles in gaming, for example the acclaimed shooter, and lately, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in greeting Ben next week. We are all looking forward to keep witnessing the progress of Project ETHOS in the months to come.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Head

Brinkman presently holds the position of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier worked at major gaming companies in various production roles on the iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Game Information and Vision

The upcoming game was unveiled in last year together with a public demo. Then, 31st Union presented the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling step forward on the style."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch reads. "Take on the opponents with new abilities, risks, and tests that change every round. Will you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or aim high, gamble everything, and hope your group can achieve the highest spot? The option is up to you."

Project Ethos lacks an confirmed debut schedule or consoles, but fans can expect more updates as development continues.