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2K Games has appointed a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the anticipated over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Change Comes After Mixed Response

Brinkman assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's disappointing unveiling last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure updated team members about this strategic move through an internal memo, which stressed that playtesting had shown the necessity for a more defined direction.

Ismailer noted that the team is now refining the project with a renewed approach, aiming to satisfy community desires.

A Pattern of Key Recruitment

This announcement mirrors a similar step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the entire message from Ismailer's communication:

Team—

I know you all just wrapped up your gathering - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Previously I shared you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and talented developers we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re excited for that partnership to continue.”

With your dedication and flexibility, particularly over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS testing phase was informative. It confirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had work to do. It highlighted the need for a clearer identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the input to consideration and revamped Project ETHOS with a renewed goal - one that’s ready to achieve its potential to our audience.

Our confidence in this project strengthens every day. To further the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce the new hire as the latest Lead of the team. Following several months of conversations, Ben officially joins us on the specified date.

His management and experience in the PVP shooter genre is vast, having spent the last 15 years creating and managing some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, including the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in welcoming Ben next week. We are all eager to continue seeing the progress of the game in the weeks to ahead.

The President

Experience of the New Head

Brinkman currently holds the position of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, before that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 alongside a early access event. At the time, the developers described the game as a "no-cost, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an thrilling step forward on the style."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the official summary explains. "Take on the rivals with unique powers, challenges, and tests that shift every round. Will you withdraw carefully with your hard-earned loot? Or go big, risk it all, and trust your group can secure victory? The decision is yours."

The game has not yet received an confirmed launch window or platforms, but players can look forward to more updates as development advances.