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2K Games has secured a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently developing the forthcoming over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as this innovative game.

Leadership Transition Comes After Mixed Response

The new appointee assumes the role of studio head at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster initial reveal last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated staff about this decision through an official communication, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had shown the requirement for a more defined direction.

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

Trend of Strategic Hires

The news echoes a similar action taken by the publisher in August, when they recruited an industry veteran from Blizzard to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the entire message from Ismailer's communication:

Dear Team—

I know you all just finished your meeting - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Last time I sent you all a message, I stated the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and creative developers we have had the chance to work with - and we’re eager for that partnership to continue.”

Through your commitment and flexibility, especially over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was enlightening. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had work to do. It uncovered the necessity for a clearer identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You took the feedback to consideration and reimagined Project ETHOS with a refreshed goal - one that’s poised to achieve its potential to our fans.

The belief in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To advance the remarkable advancement you’ve made, It is a pleasure to welcome Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of the team. After a period of talks, Ben officially joins us on next week.

Ben’s leadership and experience in the PVP shooter space is considerable, having devoted the recent years producing and managing some of the most popular series in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in greeting Ben soon. We are all excited to persist observing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the time to come.

The President

Background of the New Leader

Brinkman currently serves in the position of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Details and Vision

The upcoming game was announced in October 2024 in conjunction with a public demo. Initially, 31st Union presented the game as a "no-cost, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an innovative evolution on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the description explains. "Challenge the opponents with fresh skills, challenges, and challenges that change every session. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively take a risk, gamble everything, and hope your squad can earn top ranking? The decision is in your hands."

Project Ethos has not yet received an official launch window or platforms, but fans can anticipate more updates as production progresses.