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2K Games has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently developing the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Shift Comes After Poor Feedback

The new appointee steps into the leadership position at 31st Union following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing early showing last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer informed team members about this strategic move through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had indicated the necessity for a distinct vision.

The president noted that the developers is now refining the project with a revised vision, aiming to satisfy community desires.

A Pattern of Strategic Acquisitions

This announcement follows a comparable move taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock development group.

Here is the full text from the president's memo:

Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your town hall - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a update, I expressed the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and talented designers we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re eager for that relationship to endure.”

Through your commitment and versatility, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The gamer responses from last fall’s the game playtest was enlightening. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had refinements needed. It highlighted the need for a clearer brand.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You accepted the feedback to consideration and reimagined Project ETHOS with a revitalized goal - one that’s poised to achieve its promise to our fans.

Our confidence in Project ETHOS grows every day. To advance the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce the new hire as the new Director of 31st Union. After a period of discussions, he comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s leadership and experience in the PVP shooter field is vast, having devoted the last 15 years producing and leading some of the most popular series in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in greeting Ben in the coming days. We are all looking forward to persist seeing the development of Project ETHOS in the time to ahead.

The President

Background of the New Head

The appointee currently serves in the role of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Concept

The upcoming game was announced in last year together with a public demo. At the time, the developers described the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling step forward on the style."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in real-time to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch explains. "Challenge the competition with new abilities, stakes, and obstacles that change every round. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or take a risk, put it on the line, and hope your squad can earn top ranking? The decision is in your hands."

Project Ethos has not yet received an official debut schedule or platforms, but players can look forward to additional details as creation continues.