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2K Games has welcomed a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the development team at 31st Union, which is currently working on the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Change Comes After Lukewarm Reception

Brinkman steps into the role of studio head at 31st Union following the dismissal of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's lackluster early showing last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified team members about this strategic move through an official communication, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had shown the necessity for a more defined vision.

Ismailer expressed that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised approach, aiming to better meet player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Recruitment

The news follows a comparable action taken by the publisher in August, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the complete message from the president's memo:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just completed your gathering - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the positive developments. Previously I sent you all a message, I stated the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most driven and innovative developers we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re excited for that partnership to continue.”

Through your commitment and flexibility, particularly over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last fall’s the game testing phase was revealing. It affirmed the promise of a action-packed game but indicated we still had refinements needed. It uncovered the need for a sharper brand.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the feedback to consideration and overhauled the title with a revitalized goal - one that’s poised to deliver on its promise to our fans.

The belief in this project grows every day. To advance the incredible progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce Ben Brinkman as the new Director of 31st Union. Following several months of talks, he officially joins us on next week.

His management and expertise in the competitive gaming space is vast, having devoted the recent years creating and leading some of the most popular titles in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in receiving Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to continue witnessing the development of the game in the time to come.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Leader

The appointee currently holds the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Concept

Project Ethos was unveiled in last year together with a community playtest. Then, 31st Union presented the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an thrilling evolution on the category."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in real-time to match your preferred approach," the official summary reads. "Challenge the opponents with unique powers, risks, and obstacles that evolve every session. Will you withdraw carefully with your valuable rewards? Or take a risk, put it on the line, and hope your group can secure victory? The decision is up to you."

Project Ethos has not yet received an confirmed release date or supported systems, but fans can expect more updates as production continues.