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The renowned publisher has secured a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently working on the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Change Comes After Poor Feedback

Brinkman steps into the role of studio head at 31st Union following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last autumn.

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

Ismailer noted that the team is now reimagining the project with a renewed approach, aiming to satisfy community desires.

A Pattern of Strategic Acquisitions

The news mirrors a comparable step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise development group.

Here is the entire message from the president's communication:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just completed your town hall - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a message, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most driven and talented designers we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to endure.”

Through your commitment and flexibility, especially over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last fall’s the game playtest was enlightening. It validated the potential of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It revealed the need for a more distinct vision.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You took the criticism to heart and overhauled Project ETHOS with a refreshed direction - one that’s poised to deliver on its promise to our audience.

The trust in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To advance the outstanding progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to welcome Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of 31st Union. After some time of discussions, Ben officially joins us on next week.

His leadership and experience in the competitive gaming field is vast, having dedicated the past decade and a half creating and leading some of the most recognizable series in gaming, such as the acclaimed shooter, and lately, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in welcoming Ben in the coming days. We are all looking forward to persist seeing the evolution of the game in the time to follow.

David

Background of the New Leader

Brinkman currently holds the role of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Game Information and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 alongside a public demo. At the time, the developers portrayed the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an thrilling step forward on the style."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to suit your personal playstyle," the game's pitch reads. "Challenge the rivals with unique powers, challenges, and challenges that evolve every session. Will you withdraw carefully with your valuable rewards? Alternatively aim high, put it on the line, and pray your squad can achieve the highest spot? The decision is yours."

The game has not yet received an announced release date or platforms, but enthusiasts can anticipate more updates as development continues.