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The renowned publisher has secured a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to lead the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Shift Follows Mixed Feedback

Brinkman takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's disappointing initial reveal last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure updated team members about this organizational change through an official communication, which highlighted that playtesting had shown the necessity for a distinct vision.

Ismailer noted that the team is now refining Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to address player expectations.

Trend of Strategic Hires

The news follows a comparable move taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the entire text from the president's memo:

Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your gathering - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the recent updates. Previously I sent you all a note, I expressed the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most motivated and talented creators we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to persist.”

Given your hard work and flexibility, particularly over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was enlightening. It confirmed the potential of a action-packed game but made clear we still had refinements needed. It highlighted the necessity for a more distinct brand.

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

The belief in this project grows every day. To further the outstanding development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce Ben Brinkman as the new Studio Head of 31st Union. After some time of conversations, he officially joins us on the specified date.

Ben’s management and background in the competitive gaming field is vast, having devoted the recent years creating and overseeing some of the most popular franchises in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in welcoming him next week. We are all eager to continue observing the development of Project ETHOS in the time to follow.

David

Experience of the New Head

Brinkman presently serves in the role of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for their flagship title. Brinkman previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, before that, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Concept

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 together with a community playtest. Initially, the developers described the game as a "no-cost, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an thrilling advancement on the style."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to suit your personal playstyle," the official summary reads. "Challenge the opponents with fresh skills, stakes, and obstacles that evolve every match. Do you withdraw carefully with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively take a risk, risk it all, and pray your squad can achieve the highest spot? The decision is up to you."

Project Ethos lacks an announced launch window or consoles, but players can anticipate more updates as creation continues.