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2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at their internal studio, which is currently working on the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Change Comes After Lukewarm Feedback

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' lackluster initial reveal last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure notified team members about this organizational change through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had shown the necessity for a distinct game identity.

The president expressed that the team is now overhauling the project with a revised approach, aiming to better meet gamer demands.

A Pattern of Key Acquisitions

The news echoes a similar move taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the complete content from Ismailer's announcement:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just finished your meeting - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Last time I shared you all a note, I expressed the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and innovative designers we have had the chance to work with - and we’re excited for that partnership to continue.”

Through your commitment and flexibility, especially over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s the game testing phase was informative. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had refinements needed. It highlighted the necessity for a sharper identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You took the criticism to mind and reimagined the title with a refreshed direction - one that’s poised to achieve its potential to our fans.

Our confidence in this project strengthens every day. To boost the outstanding progress you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome Ben Brinkman as the latest Lead of 31st Union. After some time of conversations, he starts with us on the specified date.

His management and expertise in the PVP shooter space is considerable, having dedicated the past decade and a half producing and overseeing some of the most well-known series in the industry, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Please join me in greeting Ben next week. We are all eager to persist seeing the progress of Project ETHOS in the weeks to follow.

The President

Background of the New Leader

Brinkman currently holds the role of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Game Information and Vision

The upcoming game was unveiled in October 2024 together with a early access event. Initially, 31st Union described the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an exciting evolution on the style."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch states. "Take on the competition with new abilities, risks, and obstacles that evolve every round. Will you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or aim high, risk it all, and trust your team can secure victory? The choice is yours."

The game does not have an confirmed launch window or platforms, but players can expect additional details as development advances.