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2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the upcoming third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Follows Poor Feedback

Brinkman takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' lackluster initial reveal last autumn.

Recently, 2K president a key figure informed staff about this strategic move through an internal memo, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had shown the need for a clearer vision.

Ismailer stated that the team is now overhauling the project with a revised vision, aiming to address player expectations.

Trend of Strategic Acquisitions

This announcement echoes a comparable action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

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

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just wrapped up your gathering - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the recent updates. Previously 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 developers we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to continue.”

Through your commitment and adaptability, especially over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was informative. It affirmed the appeal of a action-packed game but made clear we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the requirement for a clearer identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the input to mind and revamped the title with a renewed vision - one that’s positioned to fulfill its potential to our players.

The trust in this project grows every day. To boost the outstanding progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce Ben Brinkman as the latest Lead of the team. Following some time of conversations, he officially joins us on the specified date.

Ben’s management and background in the competitive gaming field is vast, having devoted the recent years producing and leading some of the most recognizable franchises in the industry, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in welcoming him soon. We are all excited to persist witnessing the progress of Project ETHOS in the weeks to follow.

The President

Background of the New Leader

Brinkman presently holds the position of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for their flagship title. Brinkman previously was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, prior to that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Concept

Project Ethos was unveiled in last year in conjunction with a community playtest. Then, the developers portrayed the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative advancement on the genre."

"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 official summary states. "Face the competition with new abilities, stakes, and tests that shift every match. Will you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or aim high, gamble everything, and pray your squad can achieve the highest spot? The choice is yours."

Project Ethos does not have an announced debut schedule or platforms, but enthusiasts can expect more updates as development progresses.