The Gaming Giant Brings Onboard Apex Legends Producer to Rescue Troubled Hero Shooter Project Ethos

2K Games has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently working on the anticipated over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as this innovative game.

Management Shift Follows Poor Response

The new appointee assumes the role of studio head at the development studio following the departure of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing unveiling last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer informed employees about this decision through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had revealed the necessity for a distinct vision.

The president expressed that the developers is now refining Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to satisfy gamer demands.

Trend of Strategic Hires

This announcement echoes a similar step taken by the publisher in the summer, when they recruited an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the full message from Ismailer's memo:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just completed your town hall - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and talented designers we have had the chance to collaborate with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to continue.”

Through your commitment and flexibility, particularly over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last fall’s the game testing phase was enlightening. It validated the promise of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the necessity for a clearer identity.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve advanced. You took the feedback to consideration and overhauled the title with a refreshed direction - one that’s poised to achieve its potential to our players.

Our confidence in this project strengthens every day. To advance the incredible progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce the new hire as the new Lead of the team. After some time of discussions, he comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s guidance and expertise in the PVP shooter field is extensive, having dedicated the past decade and a half creating and overseeing some of the most popular titles in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Please join me in greeting Ben soon. We are all eager to continue witnessing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the weeks to come.

The President

Background of the New Leader

The appointee currently serves in the position of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Information and Vision

The upcoming game was revealed in October 2024 in conjunction with a early access event. Then, 31st Union described the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an innovative step forward on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the game's pitch explains. "Challenge the opponents with fresh skills, challenges, and challenges that evolve every session. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or take a risk, risk it all, and trust your squad can secure victory? The decision is in your hands."

The game lacks an official debut schedule or supported systems, but fans can anticipate more updates as production advances.