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2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at 31st Union, which is currently working on the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Follows Lukewarm Response

Brinkman takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the dismissal of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing unveiling last autumn.

Recently, 2K president a key figure notified employees about this strategic move through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had shown the need for a distinct game identity.

Ismailer expressed that the developers is now reimagining Project Ethos with a refreshed approach, aiming to satisfy player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Hires

This announcement echoes a comparable move taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the complete message from Ismailer's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just wrapped up your gathering - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Previously I sent you all a message, I expressed the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and creative creators we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to endure.”

With your dedication and versatility, particularly over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.

The gamer responses from last fall’s the game playtest was revealing. It confirmed the potential of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had refinements needed. It revealed the requirement for a clearer vision.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the criticism to mind and overhauled Project ETHOS with a refreshed direction - one that’s positioned to achieve its ambition to our players.

Our confidence in this project increases every day. To further the remarkable development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce Ben Brinkman as the latest Studio Head of the team. Following a period of talks, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s leadership and expertise in the PVP shooter field is vast, having dedicated the past decade and a half developing and leading some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in greeting him in the coming days. We are all looking forward to continue seeing the development of Project ETHOS in the weeks to come.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Head

The appointee presently serves in the position of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, before that, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Details and Concept

The upcoming game was announced in October 2024 together with a public demo. Then, 31st Union presented the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an exciting evolution on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in live gameplay to suit your personal playstyle," the game's pitch states. "Face the opponents with unique powers, stakes, and obstacles that shift every match. Will you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or take a risk, put it on the line, and pray your team can secure victory? The option is yours."

The game lacks an confirmed debut schedule or supported systems, but players can anticipate more updates as development progresses.