🔗 Share this article

The renowned publisher has welcomed a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the development team at their internal studio, which is currently working on the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Transition Comes After Poor Response

Brinkman takes on the role of studio head at the development studio following the dismissal of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to the game's lackluster early showing last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure updated employees about this organizational change through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had revealed the necessity for a distinct game identity.

The president stated that the developers is now overhauling the project with a revised vision, aiming to better meet player expectations.

Trend of Key Acquisitions

The news follows a similar action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to contribute to the beloved franchise development group.

Below is the full message from Ismailer's memo:

Team—

I know you all just wrapped up your meeting - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the positive developments. Last time I shared you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and innovative creators we have had the chance to work with - and we’re eager for that partnership to continue.”

Given your hard work and flexibility, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s the game playtest was informative. It confirmed the appeal of a action-packed game but made clear we still had work to do. It revealed the need for a sharper identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You took the input to consideration and overhauled Project ETHOS with a renewed direction - one that’s positioned to fulfill its potential to our fans.

The belief in this project strengthens every day. To boost the outstanding progress you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce the new hire as the new Lead of the team. Following some time of talks, he starts with us on the specified date.

His leadership and expertise in the PVP shooter field is extensive, having dedicated the recent years producing and managing some of the most well-known series in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in welcoming him soon. We are all eager to keep witnessing the progress of the game in the weeks to ahead.

The President

Background of the New Leader

The appointee currently holds the role of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, before that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 in conjunction with a community playtest. Then, the developers presented 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! Build your hero in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the game's pitch reads. "Take on the opponents with new abilities, challenges, and obstacles that evolve every round. Will you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Alternatively go big, risk it all, and trust your team can earn top ranking? The choice is yours."

The game does not have an official debut schedule or supported systems, but fans can look forward to further news as creation advances.