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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 working on the forthcoming third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Change Follows Poor Feedback

The new appointee takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing unveiling last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure updated staff about this strategic move through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had shown the requirement for a distinct game identity.

Ismailer stated that the developers is now refining Project Ethos with a refreshed vision, aiming to address community desires.

Trend of Key Recruitment

The news echoes a comparable action taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the full content from Ismailer's memo:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just wrapped up your town hall - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Last time I sent you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and talented designers we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to endure.”

Through your commitment and flexibility, particularly over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s the game testing phase was revealing. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but told us we still had refinements needed. It highlighted the requirement for a clearer identity.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You accepted the input to heart and overhauled Project ETHOS with a refreshed direction - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our audience.

The belief in this project strengthens every day. To further the incredible development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to welcome Ben Brinkman as the new Studio Head of 31st Union. Following several months of conversations, he starts with us on Monday, October 20.

His guidance and expertise in the PVP shooter space is vast, having devoted the past decade and a half developing and overseeing some of the most recognizable titles in gaming, for example the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in greeting Ben in the coming days. We are all looking forward to keep seeing the development of Project ETHOS in the weeks to ahead.

David

Background of the New Head

Brinkman presently serves in the position of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Vision

The upcoming game was revealed in last year alongside a public demo. Then, the developers presented the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an exciting step forward on the genre."

"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 official summary states. "Challenge the rivals with fresh skills, risks, and obstacles that evolve every match. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or take a risk, risk it all, and trust your team can earn top ranking? The option is up to you."

Project Ethos does not have an official launch window or supported systems, but players can expect more updates as production progresses.