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The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Transition Comes After Poor Reception

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

Recently, 2K president a key figure informed employees about this strategic move through an official communication, which stressed that early feedback sessions had indicated the requirement for a distinct vision.

The president noted that the team is now reimagining the project with a renewed vision, aiming to address player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Hires

This announcement follows a comparable action taken by 2K Games in August, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the full text from Ismailer's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just finished your meeting - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a update, I stated the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and talented developers we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that relationship to continue.”

With your dedication and versatility, especially over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s the game testing phase was informative. It validated the promise of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had refinements needed. It revealed the need for a sharper brand.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the feedback to mind and overhauled the title with a refreshed vision - one that’s ready to fulfill its ambition to our players.

The trust in this project increases every day. To advance the remarkable development you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome Ben Brinkman as the new Lead of 31st Union. Following some time of conversations, he officially joins us on next week.

His leadership and experience in the competitive gaming field is considerable, having spent the last 15 years developing and managing some of the most popular titles in gaming, including the acclaimed shooter, and lately, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in greeting him in the coming days. We are all looking forward to keep witnessing the progress of the game in the weeks to ahead.

The President

Background of the New Head

The appointee presently serves in the role of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at major gaming companies in various production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, earlier in his career, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was announced in last year in conjunction with a public demo. At the time, 31st Union portrayed the game as a "no-cost, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an innovative advancement 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 explains. "Challenge the rivals with new abilities, risks, and obstacles that shift every session. Do you withdraw carefully with your valuable rewards? Or go big, gamble everything, and hope your team can achieve the highest spot? The choice is in your hands."

Project Ethos does not have an official release date or supported systems, but players can expect more updates as production continues.