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The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently working on the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Change Comes After Mixed Reception

The new appointee takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's underwhelming early showing last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure notified staff about this organizational change through an official communication, which highlighted that playtesting had revealed the necessity for a clearer vision.

The president expressed that the team is now reimagining Project Ethos with a revised focus, aiming to address community desires.

Trend of Key Recruitment

This announcement echoes a similar action taken by the publisher in the summer, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the entire text from Ismailer's communication:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just finished your gathering - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a note, I expressed the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and creative creators we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that relationship to continue.”

With your dedication and adaptability, especially over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.

The player input from last autumn’s the game demo was enlightening. It affirmed the potential of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had improvements to make. It revealed the need for a clearer brand.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You took the feedback to heart and revamped Project ETHOS with a renewed goal - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our fans.

Our confidence in this project strengthens every day. To advance the remarkable progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce the new hire as the new Lead of the team. Following a period of discussions, he starts with us on next week.

Ben’s leadership and experience in the competitive gaming field is vast, having devoted the last 15 years developing and managing some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, including the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in receiving him soon. We are all eager to persist observing the progress of Project ETHOS in the time to come.

David

Experience of the Incoming Head

The appointee currently serves in the position of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, prior to that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Details and Concept

The upcoming game was announced in October 2024 in conjunction with a public demo. At the time, the developers presented the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an thrilling evolution 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 suit your personal playstyle," the game's pitch states. "Take on the rivals with unique powers, challenges, and obstacles that change every match. Will you leave securely with your collected items? Alternatively take a risk, risk it all, and hope your group can earn top ranking? The decision is in your hands."

The game has not yet received an announced debut schedule or platforms, but fans can expect further news as development continues.