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2K Games has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the anticipated over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Change Follows Lukewarm Reception

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming initial reveal last autumn.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure informed employees about this organizational change through an official communication, which highlighted that playtesting had indicated the necessity for a distinct direction.

The president expressed that the team is now reimagining the project with a revised approach, aiming to better meet community desires.

Trend of Strategic Hires

The news echoes a similar step taken by the publisher in the summer, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

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

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just wrapped up your town hall - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and innovative developers we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to endure.”

Given your hard work and flexibility, especially over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The player input from last fall’s Project ETHOS testing phase was enlightening. It validated the appeal of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had work to do. It uncovered the need for a more distinct brand.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the criticism to heart and reimagined the title with a revitalized goal - one that’s positioned to deliver on its ambition to our fans.

Our confidence in this project increases every day. To advance the remarkable development you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce the new hire as the new Director of 31st Union. Following a period of conversations, he comes aboard us on next week.

His management and experience in the competitive gaming field is extensive, having spent the recent years developing and leading some of the most popular franchises in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in greeting Ben in the coming days. We are all looking forward to continue witnessing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the weeks to ahead.

The President

Background of the New Head

The appointee presently serves in the role of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Information and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in last year together with a public demo. At the time, the developers presented the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling step forward on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in real-time to match your preferred approach," the description reads. "Take on the competition with unique powers, challenges, and challenges that evolve every session. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively take a risk, risk it all, and pray your squad can achieve the highest spot? The option is up to you."

The game does not have an announced debut schedule or consoles, but players can expect additional details as production continues.