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The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the forthcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Comes After Poor Feedback

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure informed staff about this strategic move through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had shown the requirement for a distinct game identity.

The president expressed that the team is now reimagining Project Ethos with a revised focus, aiming to better meet player expectations.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

This announcement echoes a comparable step taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the BioShock development group.

Below is the complete content from the president's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just finished your meeting - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a message, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and innovative developers we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to continue.”

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

The player input from last fall’s Project ETHOS testing phase was informative. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the need for a sharper vision.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You took the criticism to consideration and reimagined Project ETHOS with a refreshed goal - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our fans.

The belief in this project strengthens every day. To advance the incredible progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce Ben Brinkman as the new Lead of 31st Union. After a period of talks, he starts with us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s guidance and background in the competitive gaming genre is extensive, having devoted the recent years developing and leading some of the most well-known series in the industry, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in greeting him next week. We are all eager to continue observing the development of Project ETHOS in the weeks to ahead.

David

Background of the Incoming Leader

The appointee presently serves in the position of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He earlier was employed at major gaming companies in diverse development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, before that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Game Information and Concept

Project Ethos was unveiled in October 2024 together with a public demo. Then, 31st Union described the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting 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 game's pitch reads. "Face the competition with unique powers, risks, and tests that change every round. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and hope your squad can secure victory? The decision is up to you."

The game lacks an official launch window or platforms, but fans can anticipate additional details as production advances.