2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently developing the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.
Leadership Transition Comes After Mixed Response
Brinkman takes on the role of studio head at 31st Union following the dismissal of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last fall.
Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated team members about this decision through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the need for a distinct vision.
Ismailer noted that the developers is now reimagining the project with a revised focus, aiming to satisfy community desires.
A Pattern of Key Acquisitions
The news echoes a comparable move taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.
Below is the complete message from the president's memo:
Dear Team—
I understand you all just wrapped up your town hall - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a update, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented developers we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re eager for that relationship to endure.”
With your dedication and versatility, especially over the last year, you repeatedly show that.
The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was informative. It affirmed the promise of a action-packed game but indicated we still had work to do. It highlighted the necessity for a more distinct identity.
It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You took the feedback to consideration and reimagined the title with a refreshed vision - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our fans.
The belief in this project grows every day. To advance the incredible development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to welcome the new hire as the new Lead of the team. After several months of talks, he comes aboard us on next week.
His leadership and expertise in the competitive gaming field is vast, having dedicated the recent years creating and managing some of the most well-known titles in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, the battle royale hit.
I invite you all in welcoming him in the coming days. We are all excited to continue seeing the development of the game in the weeks to ahead.
David
Background of the New Leader
The appointee presently serves in the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Game Details and Concept
The upcoming game was unveiled in October 2024 in conjunction with a community playtest. At the time, the developers portrayed the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting advancement on the category."
"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the game's pitch explains. "Face the competition with fresh skills, challenges, and obstacles that change every match. Will you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively go big, risk it all, and hope your squad can achieve the highest spot? The choice is up to you."
Project Ethos has not yet received an confirmed release date or supported systems, but players can look forward to further news as creation progresses.
