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

Leadership Change Comes After Poor Reception

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

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure informed employees about this organizational change through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had indicated the need for a distinct game identity.

Ismailer stated that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a refreshed focus, aiming to address gamer demands.

A Pattern of Strategic Recruitment

This announcement mirrors a similar move taken by the publisher in the summer, when they hired Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the complete message from Ismailer's announcement:

Team—

I understand you all just finished your gathering - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Last time I sent you all a note, I stated the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most driven and talented developers we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to continue.”

With your dedication and versatility, especially over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s the game demo was enlightening. It affirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had refinements needed. It highlighted the need for a clearer vision.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You took the input to consideration and revamped Project ETHOS with a renewed goal - one that’s ready to achieve its ambition to our fans.

The belief in Project ETHOS increases every day. To further the outstanding progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce Ben Brinkman as the new Studio Head of the team. After a period of conversations, Ben comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s guidance and background in the competitive gaming genre is vast, having spent the past decade and a half creating and leading some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, including the acclaimed shooter, and lately, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in receiving Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to continue observing the evolution of the game in the time to ahead.

The President

Experience of the New Leader

The appointee currently holds the role of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, before that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Vision

The upcoming game was unveiled in last year in conjunction with a early access event. Initially, the developers portrayed the title as a "no-cost, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling advancement on the style."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the description explains. "Face the rivals with new abilities, stakes, and challenges that change every session. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and pray your squad can secure victory? The decision is yours."

The game has not yet received an official launch window or platforms, but fans can expect more updates as development continues.