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2K Games has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently working on the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Change Comes After Mixed Feedback

The new appointee takes on the role of studio head at 31st Union following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president David Ismailer informed employees about this decision through an internal memo, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the requirement for a clearer direction.

The president expressed that the developers is now overhauling the project with a revised focus, aiming to address community desires.

A Pattern of Strategic Recruitment

The news echoes a comparable move taken by the publisher in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from Blizzard to contribute to the BioShock development group.

Here is the complete message from Ismailer's communication:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just finished your town hall - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Previously I shared you all a note, I stated the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and innovative developers we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to persist.”

With your dedication and versatility, especially over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The player input from last autumn’s Project ETHOS playtest was informative. It validated the potential of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the requirement for a clearer identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the feedback to heart and revamped Project ETHOS with a refreshed vision - one that’s poised to deliver on its potential to our fans.

The trust in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To advance the incredible development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce Ben Brinkman as the new Lead of 31st Union. After a period of discussions, Ben starts with us on the specified date.

His leadership and expertise in the competitive gaming space is extensive, having spent the past decade and a half developing and leading some of the most popular series in gaming, such as the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, Apex Legends.

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

David

Background of the Incoming Leader

Brinkman presently serves in the role of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Vision

The upcoming game was announced in last year together with a community playtest. At the time, 31st Union presented the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative step forward on the genre."

"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 official summary explains. "Challenge the opponents with new abilities, risks, and challenges that change every match. Do you safely extract with your collected items? Or take a risk, put it on the line, and pray your team can achieve the highest spot? The decision is yours."

The game has not yet received an confirmed debut schedule or supported systems, but players can expect further news as production advances.