The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the forthcoming third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.
Management Change Comes After Poor Response
Brinkman takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last fall.
On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure informed staff about this strategic move through an internal memo, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the need for a more defined game identity.
The president expressed that the developers is now reimagining Project Ethos with a refreshed vision, aiming to address player expectations.
A Pattern of Strategic Recruitment
This announcement follows a similar move taken by the publisher in August, when they hired Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise development group.
Below is the entire text from the president's memo:
Team—
I know you all just wrapped up your meeting - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the positive developments. Last time I sent you all a message, I expressed the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most driven and creative creators we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re excited for that relationship to persist.”
With your dedication and flexibility, particularly over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.
The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was enlightening. It affirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the need for a clearer brand.
It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the criticism to mind and reimagined the title with a revitalized goal - one that’s ready to achieve its ambition to our fans.
Our confidence in this project strengthens every day. To boost the outstanding progress you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce the new hire as the incoming Studio Head of 31st Union. After some time of discussions, he starts with us on next week.
His management and expertise in the PVP shooter space is vast, having devoted the recent years creating and leading some of the most popular titles in gaming, for example the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, Apex Legends.
Let’s together in welcoming him in the coming days. We are all excited to persist observing the progress of the game in the weeks to ahead.
David
Experience of the Incoming Leader
Brinkman presently serves in the role of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He previously was employed at major gaming companies in various development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Game Information and Vision
Project Ethos was unveiled in last year together with a public demo. At the time, the developers presented the game as a "no-cost, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an innovative step forward 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 reads. "Face the opponents with fresh skills, stakes, and tests that evolve every session. Do you withdraw carefully with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively aim high, risk it all, and pray your group can earn top ranking? The option is yours."
Project Ethos has not yet received an official release date or supported systems, but enthusiasts can look forward to more updates as creation advances.
