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The renowned publisher has welcomed a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the development team at their internal studio, which is currently working on the forthcoming over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as this innovative game.

Leadership Change Comes After Poor Reception

Brinkman takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's disappointing unveiling last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure notified staff about this strategic move through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had shown the necessity for a more defined game identity.

The president noted that the team is now reimagining the project with a renewed vision, aiming to better meet gamer demands.

A Pattern of Strategic Recruitment

This announcement follows a comparable step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the full content from Ismailer's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just completed your gathering - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Last time I sent you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and talented developers we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to continue.”

Given your hard work and versatility, especially over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last fall’s the game demo was enlightening. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had refinements needed. It uncovered the requirement for a clearer identity.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the criticism to heart and revamped Project ETHOS with a revitalized direction - one that’s ready to fulfill its potential to our fans.

The belief in Project ETHOS grows every day. To boost the outstanding development you’ve made, I’m excited to announce the new hire as the incoming Lead of the team. After several months of talks, Ben comes aboard us on next week.

Ben’s leadership and expertise in the competitive gaming genre is vast, having spent the past decade and a half developing and leading some of the most well-known titles in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and lately, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in welcoming Ben next week. We are all looking forward to persist witnessing the progress of Project ETHOS in the months to ahead.

David

Background of the New Head

The appointee presently serves in the position of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He previously was employed at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in October 2024 in conjunction with a public demo. Initially, the developers portrayed the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative step forward on the genre."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the official summary states. "Take on the rivals with new abilities, stakes, and challenges that shift every match. Will you leave securely with your collected items? Alternatively take a risk, gamble everything, and trust your squad can secure victory? The option is up to you."

Project Ethos has not yet received an announced release date or consoles, but players can expect further news as production progresses.