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2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the development team at 31st Union, which is currently working on the forthcoming third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Comes After Poor Feedback

The new appointee steps into the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated employees about this strategic move through an official communication, which stressed that early feedback sessions had shown the necessity for a clearer vision.

Ismailer expressed that the team is now refining the project with a refreshed approach, aiming to better meet gamer demands.

Trend of Strategic Hires

The news mirrors a comparable action taken by the publisher in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from Blizzard to contribute to the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the full text from Ismailer's communication:

Team—

I know you all just wrapped up your town hall - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the positive developments. Last time I shared you all a update, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and innovative creators we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to continue.”

With your dedication and adaptability, particularly over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The gamer responses from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was revealing. It validated the potential of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It revealed the necessity for a clearer vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the input to heart and reimagined Project ETHOS with a revitalized vision - one that’s ready to fulfill its ambition to our players.

The trust in this project grows every day. To advance the outstanding development you’ve made, I’m excited to announce Ben Brinkman as the new Studio Head of the team. Following some time of discussions, he officially joins us on next week.

His management and experience in the PVP shooter genre is vast, having devoted the recent years developing and managing some of the most popular series in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in welcoming Ben next week. We are all excited to keep observing the progress of Project ETHOS in the time to come.

David

Background of the New Head

The appointee presently serves in the position of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman previously worked at major gaming companies in multiple production roles on the iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Information and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 together with a early access event. Initially, 31st Union portrayed the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an exciting advancement on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the description reads. "Challenge the opponents with unique powers, stakes, and obstacles that shift every round. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Alternatively go big, put it on the line, and hope your group can secure victory? The option is in your hands."

Project Ethos lacks an announced launch window or supported systems, but players can anticipate more updates as development progresses.