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The renowned publisher has secured a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Shift Follows Lukewarm Feedback

Brinkman assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's underwhelming initial reveal last autumn.

Recently, 2K president a key figure updated team members about this organizational change through an official communication, which emphasized that playtesting had indicated the requirement for a clearer direction.

The president expressed that the developers is now reimagining the project with a refreshed approach, aiming to better meet community desires.

A Pattern of Key Recruitment

This announcement follows a comparable action taken by the publisher in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the entire text from the president's memo:

Dear Team—

I know you all just completed your gathering - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a update, I stated the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most driven and creative creators we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re eager for that relationship to continue.”

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

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was revealing. It confirmed the potential of a action-packed game but indicated we still had improvements to make. It revealed the requirement for a more distinct vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the criticism to heart and revamped the title with a renewed goal - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our players.

The trust in Project ETHOS increases every day. To advance the incredible advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce the new hire as the incoming Director of the team. Following some time of talks, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s leadership and background in the competitive gaming genre is vast, having dedicated the last 15 years creating and managing some of the most recognizable series in gaming, such as the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in greeting Ben next week. We are all eager to continue observing the development of Project ETHOS in the time to ahead.

The President

Experience of the New Head

The appointee currently holds the position 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 iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Details and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in October 2024 in conjunction with a community playtest. Then, the developers presented the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an exciting evolution on the category."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the description explains. "Face the opponents with fresh skills, risks, and challenges that change every match. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or take a risk, risk it all, and pray your group can secure victory? The option is up to you."

Project Ethos lacks an official release date or platforms, but enthusiasts can look forward to further news as development continues.