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The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Shift Follows Mixed Feedback

Brinkman steps into the role of studio head at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's disappointing initial reveal last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer informed employees about this strategic move through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had shown the need for a distinct game identity.

The president stated that the team is now reimagining Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to address community desires.

Trend of Strategic Hires

The news mirrors a similar move taken by the publisher in the summer, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to contribute to the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the full content from the president's memo:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just wrapped up your meeting - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most driven and creative developers we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to persist.”

Through your commitment and flexibility, especially over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was informative. It confirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had refinements needed. It uncovered the requirement for a sharper identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve progressed. You took the input to consideration and overhauled Project ETHOS with a renewed direction - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our fans.

The belief in Project ETHOS grows every day. To further the incredible progress you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce the new hire as the latest Studio Head of the team. Following several months of talks, Ben comes aboard us on the specified date.

Ben’s management and expertise in the PVP shooter genre is vast, having spent the recent years producing and managing some of the most popular franchises in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Please join me in welcoming him soon. We are all excited to persist seeing the progress of the game in the months to ahead.

The President

Experience of the New Head

Brinkman presently 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 Call of Duty games, and, before that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Concept

The upcoming game was announced in October 2024 alongside a community playtest. Initially, the developers described the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an thrilling advancement on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch explains. "Take on the competition with fresh skills, risks, and obstacles that change every round. Will you withdraw carefully with your collected items? Alternatively take a risk, risk it all, and hope your squad can secure victory? The choice is up to you."

Project Ethos has not yet received an confirmed launch window or supported systems, but players can anticipate further news as production progresses.