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2K Games has welcomed a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to lead the development team at 31st Union, which is currently working on the anticipated over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Change Follows Mixed Feedback

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president David Ismailer informed employees about this organizational change through an official communication, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had revealed the need for a distinct game identity.

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

Trend of Key Hires

This announcement follows 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.

Here is the entire message from the president's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just completed your gathering - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most driven and talented designers we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to persist.”

Through your commitment and adaptability, particularly over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was informative. It validated the promise of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had refinements needed. It revealed the requirement for a clearer identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You accepted the input to heart and reimagined the title with a renewed direction - one that’s positioned to fulfill its promise to our audience.

Our confidence in this project increases every day. To further the outstanding progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce the new hire as the incoming Lead of the team. Following some time of talks, he comes aboard us on next week.

Ben’s management and expertise in the competitive gaming space is extensive, having devoted the recent years producing and leading some of the most popular franchises in gaming, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in welcoming Ben soon. We are all looking forward to persist observing the progress of Project ETHOS in the months to ahead.

David

Experience of the New Head

Brinkman currently holds the position of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Vision

Project Ethos was revealed in last year together with a early access event. Initially, the developers described the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person 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 real-time to fit your unique tactics," the game's pitch reads. "Take on the opponents with new abilities, stakes, and challenges that evolve every session. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or aim high, risk it all, and pray your team can achieve the highest spot? The choice is in your hands."

The game lacks an announced debut schedule or supported systems, but players can anticipate additional details as creation progresses.