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The renowned publisher has secured a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently developing the forthcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Transition Comes After Mixed Feedback

Brinkman steps into 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 the game's underwhelming unveiling last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer informed team members about this organizational change through an official communication, which emphasized that playtesting had shown the need for a clearer game identity.

Ismailer noted that the team is now overhauling the project with a renewed approach, aiming to satisfy gamer demands.

A Pattern of Strategic Recruitment

This announcement echoes a comparable action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to assist with the BioShock development group.

Below is the entire message from the president's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just wrapped up your town hall - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Previously I shared you all a message, I stated the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and innovative developers we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that relationship to endure.”

With your dedication and flexibility, particularly over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was informative. It validated the appeal of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had refinements needed. It highlighted the need for a sharper identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the criticism to heart and overhauled Project ETHOS with a renewed direction - one that’s positioned to fulfill its ambition to our fans.

The trust in this project strengthens every day. To boost the incredible development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to welcome the new hire as the latest Studio Head of the team. Following several months of talks, he starts with us on Monday, October 20.

His management and expertise in the competitive gaming field is vast, having spent the last 15 years producing and managing some of the most well-known titles in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Please join me in welcoming him in the coming days. We are all eager to continue witnessing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the months to ahead.

The President

Background of the New Head

Brinkman presently serves in the role of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He previously worked at major gaming companies in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in October 2024 together with a community playtest. At the time, the developers portrayed the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an exciting evolution on the genre."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the official summary reads. "Challenge the opponents with new abilities, challenges, and challenges that shift every match. Will you leave securely with your collected items? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and trust your squad can secure victory? The decision is yours."

Project Ethos does not have an confirmed launch window or consoles, but fans can anticipate more updates as creation continues.