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2K Games has welcomed a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently working on the anticipated third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Change Comes After Lukewarm Response

Brinkman takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's lackluster unveiling last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer informed team members about this decision through an internal memo, which stressed that playtesting had indicated the necessity for a distinct vision.

Ismailer stated that the team is now refining the project with a renewed approach, aiming to better meet player expectations.

Trend of Strategic Recruitment

The news mirrors a comparable step taken by the publisher in the summer, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

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

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just finished your gathering - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the positive developments. Last time I sent you all a message, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and innovative creators we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to endure.”

Through your commitment and flexibility, particularly over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS testing phase was enlightening. It confirmed the appeal of a action-packed game but made clear we still had improvements to make. It revealed the requirement for a sharper vision.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the input to consideration and revamped the title with a refreshed vision - one that’s positioned to achieve its ambition to our audience.

The belief in this project grows every day. To further the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce Ben Brinkman as the latest Studio Head of the team. After some time of conversations, Ben officially joins us on next week.

His leadership and background in the PVP shooter genre is vast, having spent the past decade and a half creating and managing some of the most recognizable series in gaming, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in greeting him soon. We are all eager to continue observing the evolution of the game in the weeks to ahead.

The President

Background of the New Head

Brinkman currently serves in the role of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, before that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in October 2024 alongside a community playtest. Initially, the developers presented the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an thrilling evolution on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the game's pitch states. "Face the rivals with unique powers, challenges, and tests that change every session. Will you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Alternatively go big, risk it all, and trust your group can earn top ranking? The decision is in your hands."

The game has not yet received an confirmed debut schedule or supported systems, but fans can look forward to further news as development continues.