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The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Transition Comes After Poor Reception

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming initial reveal last autumn.

Recently, 2K president a key figure updated staff about this decision through an official communication, which highlighted that playtesting had indicated the requirement for a clearer vision.

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

Trend of Key Hires

The news echoes a similar action taken by the publisher in August, when they hired Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the entire text from Ismailer's announcement:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just completed your meeting - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most driven and creative developers we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to continue.”

Given your hard work and adaptability, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The gamer responses from last fall’s the game playtest was informative. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the need for a clearer brand.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You accepted the feedback to heart and revamped the title with a renewed goal - one that’s poised to achieve its ambition to our fans.

Our confidence in this project strengthens every day. To further the incredible progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to announce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Lead of 31st Union. Following a period of conversations, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

His guidance and expertise in the PVP shooter genre is extensive, having spent the recent years developing and managing some of the most recognizable franchises in gaming, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in receiving Ben soon. We are all looking forward to continue seeing the development of Project ETHOS in the time to ahead.

David

Experience of the New Leader

The appointee currently serves in the role of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, before that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Information and Vision

Project Ethos was announced in last year in conjunction with a early access event. Initially, 31st Union described the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling step forward on the style."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the official summary states. "Challenge the opponents with unique powers, challenges, and tests that shift every match. Will you leave securely with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively take a risk, put it on the line, and trust your team can earn top ranking? The option is in your hands."

Project Ethos has not yet received an announced launch window or platforms, but fans can anticipate further news as development continues.