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2K Games has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the upcoming third-person action-packed title known as this innovative game.

Leadership Transition Comes After Lukewarm Feedback

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' disappointing initial reveal last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure updated team members about this strategic move through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had indicated the need for a more defined direction.

Ismailer noted that the developers is now overhauling the project with a renewed approach, aiming to address gamer demands.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

This announcement follows a comparable step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the entire content from the president's announcement:

Dear Team—

I know you all just wrapped up your gathering - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Last time I shared you all a message, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and innovative designers we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re eager for that relationship to continue.”

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

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS playtest was revealing. It validated the appeal of a action-packed game but indicated we still had refinements needed. It revealed the requirement for a clearer identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the feedback to mind and overhauled the title with a revitalized goal - one that’s positioned to deliver on its potential to our audience.

The trust in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To boost the outstanding progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce Ben Brinkman as the latest Lead of the team. After some time of discussions, he starts with us on Monday, October 20.

His guidance and background in the competitive gaming genre is considerable, having dedicated the past decade and a half creating and managing some of the most popular franchises in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in welcoming him next week. We are all excited to continue seeing the progress of Project ETHOS in the months to ahead.

David

Experience of the Incoming Head

The appointee currently serves in the position of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman previously worked at major gaming companies in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Concept

Project Ethos was unveiled in October 2024 alongside a early access event. At the time, the developers presented the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an exciting step forward on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the game's pitch explains. "Take on the rivals with fresh skills, challenges, and challenges that shift every round. Will you safely extract with your collected items? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and pray your squad can achieve the highest spot? The decision is yours."

Project Ethos does not have an official launch window or supported systems, but fans can look forward to further news as development progresses.