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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently developing the forthcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Shift Comes After Mixed Feedback

Brinkman takes on the role of studio head at the development studio following the exit of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure updated employees about this decision through an official communication, which emphasized that playtesting had shown the requirement for a distinct vision.

Ismailer expressed that the developers is now reimagining Project Ethos with a revised focus, aiming to satisfy community desires.

Trend of Strategic Recruitment

This announcement mirrors a comparable move taken by 2K Games in August, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock development group.

Below is the full content from Ismailer's memo:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just wrapped up your town hall - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a note, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and creative developers we have had the chance to work with - and we’re excited for that relationship to persist.”

Given your hard work and versatility, especially over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.

The community feedback from last fall’s the game playtest was informative. It affirmed the potential of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had work to do. It highlighted the necessity for a more distinct vision.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the feedback to consideration and revamped Project ETHOS with a revitalized goal - one that’s ready to deliver on its potential to our audience.

The belief in Project ETHOS increases every day. To advance the incredible development you’ve made, I’m excited to announce the new hire as the incoming Director of the team. After several months of talks, Ben officially joins us on the specified date.

His leadership and experience in the competitive gaming genre is vast, having spent the last 15 years developing and leading some of the most well-known series in the industry, including the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in receiving Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to persist witnessing the evolution of the game in the time to come.

The President

Experience of the New Head

Brinkman currently holds the position of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman previously worked at major gaming companies in various production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Details and Vision

The upcoming game was unveiled in October 2024 in conjunction with a community playtest. Then, the developers presented the title as a "no-cost, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an innovative evolution on the style."

"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 description reads. "Take on the competition with new abilities, challenges, and challenges that evolve every match. Will you safely extract with your collected items? Alternatively take a risk, risk it all, and trust your squad can earn top ranking? The decision is up to you."

Project Ethos does not have an confirmed release date or platforms, but fans can look forward to further news as production advances.