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2K Games has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently working on the anticipated over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Transition Follows Poor Reception

Brinkman assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the dismissal of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' underwhelming unveiling last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure notified team members about this organizational change through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had shown the requirement for a distinct direction.

The president noted that the team is now reimagining the project with a refreshed focus, aiming to better meet community desires.

Trend of Strategic Recruitment

The news mirrors a comparable step taken by the publisher in the summer, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to contribute to the beloved franchise development group.

Below is the complete content from the president's communication:

Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your town hall - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Previously I shared you all a note, I expressed the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and innovative developers we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that partnership to continue.”

Given your hard work and versatility, especially over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last fall’s the game testing phase was revealing. It validated the potential of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the requirement for a more distinct vision.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve advanced. You took the feedback to heart and overhauled Project ETHOS with a renewed direction - one that’s positioned to deliver on its potential to our audience.

The belief in this project strengthens every day. To boost the incredible progress you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome the new hire as the new Lead of 31st Union. After a period of talks, Ben starts with us on next week.

Ben’s management and background in the PVP shooter space is considerable, having dedicated the last 15 years creating and overseeing some of the most popular series in gaming, such as the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in receiving him in the coming days. We are all excited to continue witnessing the development of Project ETHOS in the time to come.

David

Experience of the Incoming Head

Brinkman currently serves in the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Vision

The upcoming game was announced in last year in conjunction with a community playtest. At the time, the developers portrayed the title as a "no-cost, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an thrilling step forward on the category."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the official summary reads. "Take on the competition with new abilities, risks, and tests that evolve every session. Do you withdraw carefully with your valuable rewards? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and hope your group can earn top ranking? The choice is yours."

The game has not yet received an official debut schedule or consoles, but players can anticipate further news as creation progresses.