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2K Games has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Transition Comes After Poor Reception

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster initial reveal last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president David Ismailer notified staff about this organizational change through an internal memo, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had indicated the necessity for a distinct direction.

The president noted that the developers is now reimagining the project with a renewed vision, aiming to satisfy community desires.

A Pattern of Strategic Acquisitions

The news follows a similar step taken by the publisher in the summer, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock development group.

Below is the complete message from Ismailer's announcement:

Team—

I know you all just wrapped up your gathering - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. 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 pleasure to work with - and we’re looking forward for that partnership to endure.”

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

The community feedback from last fall’s the game testing phase was informative. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but indicated we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the need for a more distinct vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve progressed. You took the input to consideration and overhauled Project ETHOS with a renewed direction - one that’s poised to achieve its potential to our audience.

The belief in Project ETHOS increases every day. To advance the outstanding progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to welcome Ben Brinkman as the latest Director of 31st Union. After several months of conversations, Ben starts with us on next week.

His management and experience in the competitive gaming field is vast, having spent the past decade and a half producing and leading some of the most well-known titles in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in welcoming him soon. We are all eager to keep seeing the development of the game in the time to come.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Head

Brinkman presently holds the role of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at major gaming companies in diverse production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 in conjunction with a community playtest. Then, the developers described the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting evolution on the style."

"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 new abilities, stakes, and tests that evolve every round. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Alternatively aim high, risk it all, and hope your group can secure victory? The option is yours."

Project Ethos lacks an announced release date or supported systems, but enthusiasts can anticipate more updates as development progresses.