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The renowned publisher has appointed a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the upcoming third-person action-packed title known as this innovative game.

Management Change Follows Poor Feedback

The new appointee takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure notified team members about this decision through an official communication, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had revealed the necessity for a clearer game identity.

Ismailer stated that the team is now reimagining Project Ethos with a renewed vision, aiming to better meet player expectations.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

The news follows a similar action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they brought on an industry veteran from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock development group.

Below is the full text from Ismailer's memo:

Team—

I know you all just finished your town hall - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the positive developments. Last time I shared you all a note, I stated the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and innovative designers we have had the chance to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that relationship to continue.”

Through your commitment and adaptability, particularly over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last fall’s the game testing phase was enlightening. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but made clear we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the necessity for a more distinct brand.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve advanced. You took the feedback to mind and overhauled the title with a renewed direction - one that’s poised to fulfill its promise to our audience.

The trust in this project strengthens every day. To boost the incredible progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce the new hire as the new Lead of the team. After a period of conversations, he comes aboard us on next week.

His management and experience in the PVP shooter genre is extensive, having spent the past decade and a half creating and overseeing some of the most recognizable series in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in welcoming Ben soon. We are all looking forward to persist seeing the progress of the game in the months to follow.

David

Background of the New Head

Brinkman currently holds the position of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 in conjunction with a early access event. Then, the developers portrayed the game as a "no-cost, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an exciting 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. "Challenge the opponents with fresh skills, risks, and tests that evolve every match. Do you safely extract with your collected items? Or aim high, put it on the line, and trust your squad can achieve the highest spot? The choice is up to you."

Project Ethos does not have an announced launch window or supported systems, but players can look forward to further news as development advances.