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2K Games has welcomed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Transition Comes After Poor Response

The new appointee steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing unveiling last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified team members about this organizational change through an official communication, which emphasized that playtesting had revealed the need for a more defined direction.

Ismailer expressed that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised focus, aiming to better meet community desires.

Trend of Strategic Recruitment

This announcement mirrors a comparable step taken by 2K Games in August, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

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

Team—

I know you all just finished your town hall - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a message, I stated the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and innovative designers we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to continue.”

Through your commitment and versatility, particularly over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS testing phase was revealing. It confirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had work to do. It revealed the necessity for a sharper identity.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the criticism to consideration and reimagined the title with a renewed direction - one that’s poised to achieve its promise to our audience.

Our confidence in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To boost the outstanding development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to welcome Ben Brinkman as the new Studio Head of 31st Union. After several months of discussions, Ben officially joins us on the specified date.

Ben’s guidance and background in the PVP shooter genre is considerable, having dedicated the last 15 years producing and overseeing some of the most well-known franchises in the industry, including the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in receiving Ben soon. We are all excited to continue observing the progress of Project ETHOS in the time to come.

The President

Experience of the New Leader

Brinkman presently serves in the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Concept

The upcoming game was announced in last year together with a public demo. At the time, the developers presented the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an thrilling advancement 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 game's pitch states. "Take on the rivals with fresh skills, risks, and challenges that evolve every session. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or aim high, put it on the line, and trust your team can earn top ranking? The option is in your hands."

Project Ethos lacks an announced debut schedule or supported systems, but enthusiasts can expect further news as production continues.