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2K Games has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently working on the anticipated third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Comes After Poor Feedback

Brinkman takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's underwhelming early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure updated staff about this decision through an internal memo, which highlighted that playtesting had indicated the need for a distinct direction.

Ismailer noted that the team is now overhauling the project with a revised approach, aiming to address player expectations.

A Pattern of Strategic Recruitment

This announcement mirrors a comparable step taken by the publisher in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to assist with the beloved franchise development group.

Below is the complete text from Ismailer's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just completed your town hall - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a note, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and creative creators we have had the chance to collaborate with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to endure.”

Given your hard work and flexibility, particularly over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was informative. It confirmed the potential of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had work to do. It highlighted the need for a sharper vision.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the feedback to consideration and overhauled Project ETHOS with a revitalized vision - one that’s ready to fulfill its ambition to our fans.

The belief in this project grows every day. To advance the incredible advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of 31st Union. Following several months of discussions, Ben comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s management and expertise in the PVP shooter genre is extensive, having spent the last 15 years producing and leading some of the most well-known franchises in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in receiving Ben soon. We are all looking forward to keep observing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the months to ahead.

David

Experience of the Incoming Leader

The appointee presently serves in the role of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, earlier in his career, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Details and Vision

Project Ethos was revealed in last year in conjunction with a public demo. Initially, 31st Union portrayed the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting evolution on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in real-time to match your preferred approach," the official summary explains. "Face the opponents with new abilities, risks, and challenges that shift every session. Do you leave securely with your hard-earned loot? Or take a risk, risk it all, and trust your team can earn top ranking? The option is up to you."

Project Ethos has not yet received an announced launch window or platforms, but players can expect more updates as development advances.