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

Management Transition Follows Lukewarm Feedback

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster early showing last fall.

Recently, 2K president David Ismailer updated staff about this decision through an official communication, which stressed that early feedback sessions had revealed the requirement for a more defined vision.

Ismailer stated that the developers is now reimagining the project with a refreshed approach, aiming to satisfy gamer demands.

A Pattern of Strategic Acquisitions

The news mirrors a similar move taken by the publisher in August, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to work on the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

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

Team—

I know you all just wrapped up your meeting - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the recent updates. Previously I shared you all a note, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and creative creators we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re excited for that partnership to persist.”

Given your hard work and versatility, particularly over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The gamer responses from last fall’s Project ETHOS testing phase was informative. It validated the potential of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had work to do. It revealed the need for a clearer identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the criticism to consideration and overhauled the title with a renewed vision - one that’s poised to fulfill its potential to our audience.

The trust in Project ETHOS increases every day. To further the outstanding progress you’ve made, I’m excited to announce Ben Brinkman as the latest Lead of 31st Union. After a period of conversations, he comes aboard us on the specified date.

Ben’s management and experience in the PVP shooter genre is vast, having dedicated the past decade and a half creating and overseeing some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

Please join me in welcoming Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to keep seeing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the weeks to ahead.

David

Background of the New Head

Brinkman presently serves in the role of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the iconic franchise games, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Concept

The upcoming game was unveiled in last year together with a public demo. At the time, 31st Union described the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an innovative evolution on the style."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in real-time to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch explains. "Take on the rivals with new abilities, risks, and obstacles that shift every round. Do you leave securely with your collected items? Alternatively go big, gamble everything, and pray your group can secure victory? The decision is yours."

The game does not have an confirmed launch window or supported systems, but fans can expect additional details as production advances.