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2K Games has welcomed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the development team at 31st Union, which is currently working on the anticipated over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Transition Comes After Lukewarm Feedback

The new appointee takes on the role of studio head at the development studio following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' underwhelming initial reveal last autumn.

Recently, 2K president David Ismailer updated team members about this decision through an internal memo, which stressed that early feedback sessions had indicated the need for a clearer direction.

Ismailer noted that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised vision, aiming to address player expectations.

Trend of Strategic Recruitment

This announcement follows a comparable step taken by the publisher in the summer, when they brought on an industry veteran from Blizzard to contribute to the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

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

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just finished your meeting - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the positive developments. Last time I shared you all a message, I stated the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most motivated and innovative developers we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re eager for that relationship to persist.”

Given your hard work and versatility, especially over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s the game testing phase was informative. It confirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It revealed the requirement for a clearer brand.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You accepted the criticism to mind and overhauled the title with a renewed direction - one that’s ready to achieve its potential to our audience.

The trust in this project increases every day. To advance the outstanding development you’ve made, I’m excited to announce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Studio Head of the team. Following a period of talks, Ben officially joins us on next week.

Ben’s leadership and experience in the competitive gaming field is vast, having dedicated the recent years developing and overseeing some of the most well-known franchises in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in receiving Ben next week. We are all excited to continue witnessing the progress of the game in the months to follow.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Leader

Brinkman currently holds the position of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Concept

The upcoming game was unveiled in last year in conjunction with a community playtest. At the time, the developers presented the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an innovative evolution 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 match your preferred approach," the description states. "Take on the opponents with unique powers, risks, and tests that change every match. Will you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or go big, risk it all, and hope your squad can earn top ranking? The decision is up to you."

Project Ethos does not have an announced launch window or consoles, but players can look forward to more updates as creation advances.