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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently working on the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Transition Comes After Mixed Feedback

The new appointee steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster initial reveal last autumn.

Recently, 2K president a key figure updated employees about this organizational change through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had shown the need for a distinct vision.

Ismailer expressed that the team is now refining Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to satisfy player expectations.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

The news echoes a comparable action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to contribute to the beloved franchise development group.

Below is the complete text from the president's communication:

Dear Team—

I know you all just completed your meeting - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the positive developments. Last time I shared you all a note, I expressed the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most dedicated and creative designers we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re excited for that partnership to continue.”

With your dedication and adaptability, especially over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS playtest was revealing. It confirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had improvements to make. It revealed the necessity for a more distinct vision.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the feedback to consideration and overhauled Project ETHOS with a renewed direction - one that’s ready to fulfill its promise to our fans.

The belief in this project increases every day. To advance the incredible development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce the new hire as the latest Director of 31st Union. After several months of conversations, Ben officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s management and expertise in the PVP shooter field is vast, having spent the recent years producing and leading some of the most popular series in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in receiving him soon. We are all eager to keep observing the development of the game in the weeks to ahead.

The President

Background of the New Leader

The appointee currently holds the position of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Concept

The upcoming game was announced in October 2024 in conjunction with a early access event. Initially, 31st Union presented the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an exciting advancement on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to suit your personal playstyle," the game's pitch explains. "Take on the competition with new abilities, stakes, and tests that evolve every round. Do you safely extract with your collected items? Alternatively aim high, risk it all, and pray your team can earn top ranking? The decision is yours."

Project Ethos has not yet received an confirmed launch window or platforms, but players can anticipate further news as production progresses.