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The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently developing the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Shift Follows Poor Reception

The new appointee takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster initial reveal last fall.

Recently, 2K president David Ismailer notified team members about this strategic move through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had indicated the necessity for a distinct game identity.

Ismailer stated that the team is now reimagining Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to better meet gamer demands.

Trend of Strategic Hires

This announcement echoes a similar move taken by the publisher in the summer, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the full content from Ismailer's memo:

Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your gathering - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a message, I stated the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most driven and creative creators we have had the chance to collaborate with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to continue.”

Given your hard work and versatility, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The gamer responses from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was enlightening. It validated the appeal of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the necessity for a more distinct brand.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You took the feedback to mind and overhauled Project ETHOS with a renewed vision - one that’s poised to achieve its potential to our audience.

Our confidence in this project strengthens every day. To further the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to announce the new hire as the latest Director of 31st Union. Following several months of conversations, he comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s leadership and background in the competitive gaming space is vast, having dedicated the past decade and a half producing and overseeing some of the most popular series in gaming, for example the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.

Please join me in welcoming him soon. We are all looking forward to keep observing the evolution of the game in the weeks to come.

David

Background of the New Head

The appointee presently holds the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He previously was employed at major gaming companies in various development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Concept

The upcoming game was revealed in last year together with a early access event. At the time, the developers presented the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting advancement on the category."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the official summary states. "Take on the rivals with unique powers, risks, and obstacles that shift every session. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or aim high, put it on the line, and hope your squad can achieve the highest spot? The decision is up to you."

The game lacks an announced launch window or consoles, but players can look forward to additional details as production advances.