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The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Comes After Poor Feedback

The new appointee takes on the role of studio head at 31st Union following the departure of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster unveiling last autumn.

Recently, 2K president a key figure informed employees about this strategic move through an internal memo, which highlighted that playtesting had revealed the need for a distinct direction.

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

A Pattern of Key Hires

This announcement follows a similar action taken by the publisher in the summer, when they brought on an industry veteran from Blizzard to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the complete message from the president's announcement:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just finished your town hall - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a message, I stated the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented developers we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re eager for that partnership to endure.”

With your dedication and adaptability, especially over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The player input from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was enlightening. It validated the potential of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the necessity for a sharper brand.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You took the input to mind and overhauled the title with a renewed direction - one that’s positioned to fulfill its potential to our players.

The trust in Project ETHOS increases every day. To boost the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to announce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Studio Head of the team. Following several months of conversations, Ben starts with us on next week.

Ben’s leadership and experience in the competitive gaming space is vast, having devoted the past decade and a half developing and overseeing some of the most popular series in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in receiving him soon. We are all looking forward to keep observing the evolution of the game in the weeks to ahead.

David

Experience of the Incoming Leader

The appointee currently serves in the position of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He earlier was employed at major gaming companies in various development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, earlier in his career, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Details and Concept

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 together with a early access event. At the time, the developers presented the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling step forward on the category."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the official summary reads. "Take on the rivals with fresh skills, risks, and challenges that change every session. Do you safely extract with your collected items? Alternatively take a risk, risk it all, and pray your team can secure victory? The decision is yours."

The game has not yet received an confirmed debut schedule or supported systems, but fans can look forward to additional details as production continues.