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2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently working on the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Shift Follows Poor Feedback

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's underwhelming early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure informed team members about this organizational change through an internal memo, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had revealed the necessity for a distinct game identity.

Ismailer noted that the developers is now reimagining Project Ethos with a renewed focus, aiming to satisfy community desires.

Trend of Strategic Recruitment

The news mirrors a similar move taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise development group.

Below is the complete message from the president's memo:

Team—

I understand you all just completed your town hall - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented designers we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to endure.”

Through your commitment and flexibility, especially over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.

The player input from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was revealing. It validated the appeal of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had work to do. It revealed the necessity for a more distinct identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the input to mind and reimagined the title with a refreshed vision - one that’s positioned to deliver on its promise to our audience.

Our confidence in this project increases every day. To boost the outstanding advancement you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of 31st Union. Following some time of talks, he starts with us on Monday, October 20.

His leadership and background in the PVP shooter genre is considerable, having spent the past decade and a half creating and managing some of the most well-known series in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in greeting Ben in the coming days. We are all excited to keep observing the progress of the game in the weeks to follow.

The President

Background of the New Head

The appointee currently serves in the position of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 together with a community playtest. At the time, the developers described the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an innovative advancement on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in real-time to match your preferred approach," the official summary explains. "Challenge the rivals with fresh skills, risks, and tests that shift every round. Do you leave securely with your valuable rewards? Or go big, gamble everything, and pray your team can earn top ranking? The decision is in your hands."

Project Ethos has not yet received an announced release date or consoles, but enthusiasts can expect more updates as production progresses.