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2K Games has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently developing the upcoming over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Change Comes After Mixed Feedback

Brinkman assumes the role of studio head at 31st Union following the exit of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' lackluster initial reveal last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated staff about this organizational change through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had shown the requirement for a clearer game identity.

The president noted that the developers is now reimagining the project with a revised focus, aiming to better meet community desires.

A Pattern of Strategic Acquisitions

This announcement mirrors a similar step taken by the publisher in August, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock development group.

Here is the full content from the president's memo:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just finished your town hall - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. 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 dedicated and talented designers we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that relationship to continue.”

Given your hard work and adaptability, especially over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s the game demo was informative. It confirmed the potential of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the need for a clearer identity.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the feedback to heart and reimagined Project ETHOS with a renewed goal - one that’s positioned to fulfill its potential to our fans.

The belief in Project ETHOS increases every day. To boost the outstanding development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce the new hire as the incoming Studio Head of 31st Union. Following several months of talks, he comes aboard us on next week.

Ben’s guidance and experience in the PVP shooter field is extensive, having spent the recent years producing and leading some of the most popular titles in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in greeting him soon. We are all eager to persist seeing the progress of Project ETHOS in the weeks to ahead.

David

Background of the Incoming Head

Brinkman presently serves in the position of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Game Information and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in last year alongside a public demo. At the time, 31st Union presented the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an exciting evolution on the style."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the official summary reads. "Take on the opponents with unique powers, stakes, and challenges that shift every match. Will you withdraw carefully with your collected items? Or aim high, put it on the line, and hope your group can earn top ranking? The choice is in your hands."

The game does not have an official release date or platforms, but fans can anticipate additional details as production continues.