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2K Games has appointed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Transition Follows Poor Response

The new appointee assumes the role of studio head at the development studio following the departure of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to the game's underwhelming initial reveal last autumn.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure notified staff about this decision through an internal memo, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the requirement for a distinct direction.

The president noted that the developers is now refining Project Ethos with a refreshed focus, aiming to address player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Acquisitions

The news mirrors a comparable move taken by the publisher in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from Blizzard to contribute to the BioShock development group.

Here is the full content from Ismailer's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just completed your town hall - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Previously I sent you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and creative developers we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to persist.”

With your dedication and flexibility, particularly over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.

The player input from last autumn’s the game testing phase was informative. It affirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had work to do. It revealed the necessity for a clearer vision.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the feedback to heart and reimagined the title with a refreshed goal - one that’s positioned to fulfill its ambition to our audience.

The belief in this project grows every day. To boost the incredible development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Studio Head of 31st Union. Following several months of talks, he comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

His leadership and experience in the competitive gaming field is vast, having devoted the recent years producing and overseeing some of the most well-known titles in gaming, such as the acclaimed shooter, and lately, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in receiving Ben in the coming days. We are all looking forward to persist witnessing the development of the game in the time to follow.

The President

Background of the New Head

The appointee presently holds the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier worked at major gaming companies in various production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Concept

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 in conjunction with a early access event. Then, 31st Union presented the title as a "no-cost, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an exciting step forward on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the description explains. "Take on the opponents with new abilities, stakes, and obstacles that change every session. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or go big, put it on the line, and trust your team can achieve the highest spot? The option is up to you."

Project Ethos lacks an confirmed release date or supported systems, but fans can anticipate additional details as creation progresses.