2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the upcoming third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.
Leadership Change Follows Poor Feedback
Brinkman takes on the role of studio head at 31st Union following the exit of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming unveiling last fall.
On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure notified team members about this decision through an official communication, which emphasized that playtesting had revealed the need for a clearer direction.
Ismailer expressed that the team is now reimagining the project with a refreshed approach, aiming to better meet player expectations.
Trend of Key Hires
The news follows a comparable step taken by the publisher in the summer, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.
Below is the complete text from Ismailer's communication:
Team—
I understand you all just completed your meeting - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a update, I stated the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most dedicated and creative creators we have had the chance to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that relationship to endure.”
Given your hard work and versatility, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.
The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS playtest was enlightening. It validated the promise of a action-packed game but indicated we still had work to do. It highlighted the need for a more distinct vision.
It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve progressed. You accepted the feedback to consideration and revamped the title with a revitalized goal - one that’s positioned to deliver on its potential to our audience.
The trust in this project strengthens every day. To boost the remarkable development you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Lead of the team. Following some time of discussions, he comes aboard us on next week.
Ben’s management and expertise in the competitive gaming space is considerable, having spent the last 15 years creating and managing some of the most popular series in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.
Please join me in receiving him soon. We are all looking forward to persist seeing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the weeks to ahead.
David
Experience of the Incoming Head
The appointee currently serves in the position of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Title Details and Concept
Project Ethos was announced in last year together with a public demo. At the time, the developers presented the game as a "no-cost, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an exciting step forward on the style."
"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch reads. "Take on the rivals with fresh skills, challenges, and obstacles that change every match. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively go big, risk it all, and trust your squad can achieve the highest spot? The option is up to you."
The game lacks an announced launch window or supported systems, but players can look forward to additional details as development advances.