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

Management Shift Comes After Poor Response

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

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure updated team members about this organizational change through an internal memo, which stressed that early feedback sessions had shown the necessity for a distinct vision.

The president expressed that the team is now reimagining the project with a revised approach, aiming to address player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Acquisitions

This announcement follows a comparable action taken by the publisher in August, when they hired Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock development group.

Below is the full content from the president's memo:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just completed your gathering - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Previously I sent you all a update, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and talented developers we have had the chance to work with - and we’re excited for that relationship to continue.”

With your dedication and adaptability, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The player input from last autumn’s the game playtest was informative. It validated the promise of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had work to do. It revealed the requirement for a sharper identity.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve advanced. You accepted the criticism to consideration and reimagined Project ETHOS with a renewed direction - one that’s positioned to achieve its ambition to our audience.

The belief in this project increases every day. To boost the outstanding progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of 31st Union. Following a period of conversations, he comes aboard us on next week.

His guidance and background in the competitive gaming genre is considerable, having devoted the last 15 years creating and managing some of the most well-known titles in gaming, for example the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in greeting Ben in the coming days. We are all excited to persist observing the progress of the game in the weeks to follow.

The President

Experience of the New Head

The appointee presently holds the role of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, earlier in his career, had periods at other industry leaders.

Game Information and Concept

The upcoming game was revealed in October 2024 together with a early access event. Initially, 31st Union described the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an innovative advancement on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the official summary explains. "Take on the rivals with new abilities, challenges, and challenges that change every match. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Alternatively take a risk, gamble everything, and hope your squad can achieve the highest spot? The option is in your hands."

Project Ethos lacks an announced debut schedule or platforms, but players can anticipate more updates as production continues.