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2K Games has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Shift Comes After Poor Feedback

The new appointee assumes the role of studio head at 31st Union following the departure of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster initial reveal last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure updated team members about this organizational change through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had shown the need for a distinct direction.

Ismailer stated that the team is now refining Project Ethos with a revised approach, aiming to address player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Hires

The news follows a comparable action taken by the publisher in August, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the entire message from Ismailer's memo:

Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your meeting - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented designers we have had the chance to collaborate with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to continue.”

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

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS playtest was enlightening. It confirmed the potential of a action-packed game but indicated we still had refinements needed. It revealed the requirement for a more distinct identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the feedback to mind and overhauled Project ETHOS with a refreshed vision - one that’s positioned to deliver on its promise to our players.

The belief in Project ETHOS increases every day. To advance the remarkable advancement you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce the new hire as the incoming Studio Head of 31st Union. Following a period of conversations, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

His leadership and expertise in the competitive gaming field is extensive, having spent the past decade and a half developing and managing some of the most recognizable franchises in gaming, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in greeting him in the coming days. We are all looking forward to keep observing the progress of Project ETHOS in the time to follow.

David

Experience of the New Head

The appointee presently holds the position of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman previously was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, earlier in his career, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Details and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in October 2024 in conjunction with a early access event. Then, the developers portrayed the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting step forward on the style."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the game's pitch states. "Challenge the rivals with unique powers, stakes, and obstacles that evolve every match. Will you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and trust your team can secure victory? The decision is yours."

Project Ethos lacks an official debut schedule or platforms, but enthusiasts can look forward to further news as creation continues.