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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Follows Poor Feedback

Brinkman takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure notified staff about this decision through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had revealed the requirement for a distinct game identity.

Ismailer noted that the team is now reimagining Project Ethos with a revised focus, aiming to satisfy player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Acquisitions

The news echoes a similar action taken by 2K Games in August, when they brought on an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock development group.

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

Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your town hall - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Previously I shared you all a note, I stated the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most dedicated and innovative designers we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re eager for that partnership to continue.”

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

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS playtest was enlightening. It validated the promise of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had improvements to make. It revealed the need for a clearer vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You took the criticism to heart and revamped Project ETHOS with a refreshed direction - one that’s poised to achieve its ambition to our players.

Our confidence in this project increases every day. To boost the incredible advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to welcome Ben Brinkman as the new Director of the team. Following some time of conversations, he starts with us on next week.

His guidance and expertise in the PVP shooter space is considerable, having devoted the last 15 years producing and managing some of the most popular titles in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in receiving Ben soon. We are all looking forward to keep observing the progress of Project ETHOS in the months to come.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Head

Brinkman currently holds the role of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, earlier in his career, had periods at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Concept

The upcoming game was announced in October 2024 alongside a community playtest. Then, 31st Union described the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling 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 description explains. "Challenge the rivals with unique powers, challenges, and challenges that evolve every round. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively take a risk, gamble everything, and hope your team can earn top ranking? The choice is up to you."

Project Ethos has not yet received an announced launch window or consoles, but enthusiasts can anticipate more updates as production advances.