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2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the anticipated over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Transition Comes After Lukewarm Response

The new appointee assumes the role of studio head at 31st Union following the departure of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's underwhelming initial reveal last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated employees about this decision through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had revealed the necessity for a distinct game identity.

Ismailer noted that the team is now refining the project with a refreshed approach, aiming to satisfy gamer demands.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

The news mirrors a similar step taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

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

Dear Team—

I know you all just completed your town hall - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a update, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and creative developers we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to continue.”

Through your commitment and adaptability, particularly over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was informative. It affirmed the potential of a action-packed game but indicated we still had improvements to make. It revealed the necessity for a sharper identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the feedback to heart and reimagined the title with a renewed direction - one that’s positioned to deliver on its promise to our fans.

The belief in this project strengthens every day. To boost the remarkable advancement you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce Ben Brinkman as the new Director of the team. After several months of discussions, Ben starts with us on the specified date.

Ben’s leadership and background in the PVP shooter genre is extensive, having devoted the past decade and a half producing and leading some of the most popular franchises in the industry, such as the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in greeting Ben soon. We are all excited to persist seeing the progress of Project ETHOS in the time to follow.

The President

Background of the New Head

Brinkman currently serves in the role of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at major gaming companies in various production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Vision

The upcoming game was unveiled in last year in conjunction with a public demo. At the time, 31st Union described the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an innovative advancement on the style."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the official summary explains. "Take on the competition with new abilities, challenges, and challenges that change every session. Will you withdraw carefully with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively aim high, risk it all, and hope your group can earn top ranking? The option is in your hands."

The game does not have an official launch window or consoles, but enthusiasts can expect further news as production advances.