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2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Comes After Poor Response

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's underwhelming unveiling last autumn.

Recently, 2K president a key figure informed employees about this strategic move through an internal memo, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had indicated the requirement for a clearer game identity.

The president expressed that the developers is now overhauling the project with a revised focus, aiming to satisfy community desires.

A Pattern of Key Acquisitions

This announcement follows a comparable action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to assist with the BioShock development group.

Here is the complete text from the president's memo:

Dear Team—

I know you all just completed your gathering - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the positive developments. Previously I sent you all a note, I expressed the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most driven and innovative designers we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to persist.”

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

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was informative. It validated the potential of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had refinements needed. It revealed the need for a clearer vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the input to heart and overhauled the title with a renewed direction - one that’s poised to fulfill its ambition to our audience.

Our confidence in Project ETHOS grows every day. To boost the outstanding progress you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of 31st Union. After some time of talks, he starts with us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s leadership and experience in the competitive gaming space is considerable, having spent the recent years producing and managing some of the most well-known titles in gaming, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in welcoming him next week. We are all looking forward to keep witnessing the development of Project ETHOS in the weeks to follow.

David

Experience of the New Head

The appointee presently holds the position of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 alongside a early access event. At the time, 31st Union described the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting evolution on the category."

"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. "Challenge the competition with unique powers, risks, and obstacles that evolve every round. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively take a risk, gamble everything, and trust your group can achieve the highest spot? The choice is yours."

The game has not yet received an announced launch window or platforms, but enthusiasts can expect further news as development continues.