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The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the forthcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Change Follows Poor Response

Brinkman takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to the game's underwhelming early showing last fall.

Recently, 2K president a key figure notified team members about this organizational change through an official communication, which stressed that early feedback sessions had revealed the need for a more defined game identity.

The president noted that the developers is now refining Project Ethos with a renewed focus, aiming to better meet player expectations.

Trend of Key Recruitment

This announcement echoes a similar move taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock development group.

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

Team—

I know you all just completed your town hall - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Previously I shared you all a note, I stated the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented developers we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to continue.”

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

The gamer responses from last fall’s Project ETHOS testing phase was informative. It affirmed the promise of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the need for a clearer identity.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You accepted the criticism to consideration and revamped the title with a refreshed goal - one that’s ready to fulfill its ambition to our audience.

The trust in Project ETHOS increases every day. To boost the incredible development you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Lead of the team. After a period of talks, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s guidance and background in the competitive gaming genre is considerable, having dedicated the past decade and a half developing and overseeing some of the most recognizable series in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in welcoming him in the coming days. We are all excited to keep witnessing the development of Project ETHOS in the weeks to follow.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Leader

Brinkman currently holds the position of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, prior to that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Details and Vision

The upcoming game was unveiled in last year alongside a public demo. At the time, 31st Union described the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an innovative evolution on the genre."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the description reads. "Challenge the competition with new abilities, challenges, and tests that shift every match. Will you leave securely with your hard-earned loot? Or go big, risk it all, and hope your team can earn top ranking? The choice is in your hands."

Project Ethos does not have an confirmed release date or platforms, but players can anticipate further news as creation progresses.