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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the development team at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the forthcoming third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Shift Comes After Poor Feedback

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing early showing last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified employees about this strategic move through an official communication, which highlighted that playtesting had shown the requirement for a clearer vision.

Ismailer noted that the team is now reimagining Project Ethos with a refreshed focus, aiming to better meet community desires.

A Pattern of Key Recruitment

This announcement echoes a comparable action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise development group.

Here is the complete text from the president's communication:

Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your gathering - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Last time I sent you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and creative creators we have had the pleasure to work with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to endure.”

Through your commitment and adaptability, particularly over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was informative. It validated the promise of a action-packed game but indicated we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the necessity for a clearer identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the criticism to mind and overhauled Project ETHOS with a refreshed goal - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our players.

The belief in this project grows every day. To boost the outstanding advancement you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce the new hire as the latest Lead of the team. After a period of discussions, Ben starts with us on Monday, October 20.

His leadership and experience in the competitive gaming space is vast, having dedicated the past decade and a half creating and managing some of the most well-known series in the industry, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in receiving him soon. We are all eager to keep observing the evolution of the game in the months to ahead.

The President

Experience of the New Leader

Brinkman currently holds the position of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, prior to that, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Information and Vision

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 alongside a public demo. Then, the developers presented the title as a "free-to-play, 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! Customize your character in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the description reads. "Challenge the opponents with unique powers, challenges, and obstacles that change every session. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or go big, gamble everything, and trust your group can earn top ranking? The option is in your hands."

The game does not have an confirmed launch window or consoles, but fans can look forward to further news as creation continues.