2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.
Management Change Follows Lukewarm Feedback
Brinkman steps into the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster initial reveal last fall.
Recently, 2K president David Ismailer notified team members about this organizational change through an internal memo, which stressed that playtesting had shown the necessity for a distinct direction.
The president stated that the developers is now reimagining the project with a refreshed focus, aiming to better meet community desires.
Trend of Key Recruitment
This announcement echoes a comparable step taken by the publisher in August, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.
Below is the entire text from the president's communication:
Dear Team—
I understand you all just finished your meeting - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Last time I sent you all a message, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and creative designers we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to endure.”
Given your hard work and versatility, particularly over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.
The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was enlightening. It validated the potential of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had refinements needed. It highlighted the need for a clearer brand.
It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the criticism to heart and reimagined Project ETHOS with a renewed goal - one that’s positioned to deliver on its ambition to our fans.
Our confidence in Project ETHOS increases every day. To boost the incredible development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Studio Head of 31st Union. Following several months of talks, Ben comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.
His management and background in the PVP shooter genre is extensive, having devoted the last 15 years developing and managing some of the most well-known series in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.
I invite you all in greeting Ben next week. We are all eager to keep observing the progress of the game in the time to follow.
David
Background of the New Leader
The appointee currently holds the position of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Game Details and Concept
The upcoming game was revealed in last year alongside a public demo. Initially, the developers portrayed the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling advancement 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 official summary states. "Take on the rivals with fresh skills, challenges, and challenges that evolve every match. Will you withdraw carefully with your valuable rewards? Or take a risk, risk it all, and hope your squad can earn top ranking? The decision is yours."
The game does not have an announced launch window or platforms, but players can look forward to additional details as creation progresses.
