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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Comes After Poor Response

Brinkman assumes the role of studio head at 31st Union following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's underwhelming initial reveal last fall.

Recently, 2K president a key figure informed staff about this organizational change through an internal memo, which stressed that early feedback sessions had revealed the requirement for a distinct game identity.

Ismailer stated that the developers is now overhauling the project with a revised focus, aiming to address community desires.

Trend of Strategic Recruitment

This announcement echoes a comparable action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the full text from the president's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just completed your gathering - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a message, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and talented designers we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to persist.”

Given your hard work and flexibility, especially over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.

The player input from last fall’s the game demo was enlightening. It confirmed the potential of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had work to do. It uncovered the requirement for a more distinct brand.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You accepted the input to consideration and reimagined Project ETHOS with a refreshed direction - one that’s ready to achieve its potential to our players.

The trust in this project strengthens every day. To boost the outstanding progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce the new hire as the incoming Studio Head of 31st Union. Following a period of talks, Ben starts with us on next week.

Ben’s leadership and experience in the PVP shooter space is vast, having devoted the last 15 years producing and leading some of the most recognizable franchises in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in greeting Ben soon. We are all excited to keep witnessing the progress of Project ETHOS in the weeks to follow.

David

Experience of the New Head

The appointee currently holds the role of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Concept

The upcoming game was revealed in last year together with a public demo. At the time, the developers presented the title as a "no-cost, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an exciting advancement on the category."

"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 explains. "Take on the rivals with fresh skills, stakes, and challenges that evolve every session. Do you leave securely with your collected items? Alternatively take a risk, gamble everything, and trust your group can earn top ranking? The decision is up to you."

Project Ethos does not have an confirmed debut schedule or consoles, but players can expect further news as production continues.