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2K Games has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the upcoming third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Change Follows Poor Reception

The new appointee steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's disappointing early showing last fall.

Recently, 2K president a key figure notified staff about this strategic move through an internal memo, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had shown the need for a distinct game identity.

Ismailer noted that the team is now overhauling the project with a renewed approach, aiming to better meet player expectations.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

The news follows a comparable move taken by the publisher in the summer, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise development group.

Here is the complete message from Ismailer's announcement:

Dear Team—

I know you all just finished your meeting - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Previously I sent you all a update, I stated the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most motivated and innovative designers we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re looking forward for that partnership to endure.”

Given your hard work and versatility, particularly over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s the game playtest was informative. It confirmed the potential of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the necessity for a clearer vision.

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

Our confidence in this project increases every day. To boost the incredible advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to announce the new hire as the latest Director of the team. Following several months of talks, he comes aboard us on next week.

Ben’s leadership and background in the PVP shooter field is vast, having spent the last 15 years developing and managing some of the most recognizable titles in gaming, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in greeting Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to keep observing the development of the game in the weeks to ahead.

The President

Background of the New Head

The appointee presently holds the role of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, prior to that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 alongside a community playtest. Initially, 31st Union presented the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective 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 live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the description reads. "Challenge the opponents with new abilities, challenges, and obstacles that shift every round. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Alternatively go big, put it on the line, and trust your squad can secure victory? The choice is up to you."

Project Ethos has not yet received an announced launch window or supported systems, but players can anticipate more updates as production continues.