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2K Games has welcomed a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Follows Poor Response

Brinkman takes on the role of studio head at 31st Union following the departure of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to the game's underwhelming initial reveal last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure updated employees about this decision through an official communication, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had shown the necessity for a distinct direction.

Ismailer noted that the team is now reimagining the project with a revised approach, aiming to address player expectations.

Trend of Strategic Hires

This announcement echoes a comparable action taken by the publisher in the summer, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock development group.

Below is the entire content from Ismailer's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just finished your town hall - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a update, I expressed the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and talented developers we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re excited for that relationship to persist.”

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

The gamer responses from last autumn’s the game demo was revealing. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but indicated we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the requirement for a clearer vision.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the criticism to mind and reimagined the title with a revitalized vision - one that’s ready to deliver on its potential to our audience.

The trust in this project grows every day. To advance the remarkable advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce the new hire as the incoming Studio Head of 31st Union. Following some time of talks, Ben starts with us on the specified date.

His guidance and expertise in the PVP shooter field is considerable, having devoted the recent years producing and leading some of the most popular franchises in the industry, such as the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in welcoming Ben next week. We are all eager to persist observing the evolution of the game in the time to follow.

David

Experience of the Incoming Head

The appointee presently holds the role of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for their flagship title. Brinkman previously worked at major gaming companies in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, earlier in his career, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Information and Vision

Project Ethos was revealed in last year together with a community playtest. Initially, the developers described the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative step forward on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch states. "Take on the rivals with new abilities, stakes, and obstacles that shift every round. Do you safely extract with your collected items? Alternatively aim high, risk it all, and pray your group can secure victory? The choice is up to you."

The game has not yet received an official release date or platforms, but players can expect additional details as creation progresses.