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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 working on the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Transition Comes After Poor Feedback

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' disappointing initial reveal last autumn.

On Wednesday, 2K president David Ismailer informed team members about this organizational change through an official communication, which emphasized that playtesting had shown the need for a distinct direction.

The president expressed that the developers is now refining Project Ethos with a renewed focus, aiming to satisfy player expectations.

Trend of Strategic Hires

The news echoes a similar action taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the complete text from Ismailer's announcement:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your town hall - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a message, I expressed the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and innovative creators we have had the chance to work with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to persist.”

Given your hard work and adaptability, especially over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was enlightening. It confirmed the potential of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had refinements needed. It uncovered the necessity for a more distinct brand.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the feedback to heart and overhauled Project ETHOS with a revitalized goal - one that’s positioned to fulfill its promise to our players.

The trust in this project increases every day. To further the outstanding progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce Ben Brinkman as the latest Lead of the team. Following some time of conversations, Ben comes aboard us on next week.

Ben’s guidance and experience in the competitive gaming space is vast, having dedicated the last 15 years developing and managing some of the most recognizable franchises in the industry, including the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in welcoming him next week. We are all excited to persist observing the evolution of the game in the months to come.

David

Experience of the Incoming Head

The appointee presently holds the position of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, earlier in his career, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Vision

The upcoming game was announced in last year in conjunction with a early access event. Then, 31st Union presented the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an exciting step forward on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch reads. "Face the competition with new abilities, stakes, and challenges that change every session. Do you withdraw carefully with your collected items? Alternatively take a risk, gamble everything, and trust your squad can secure victory? The decision is yours."

Project Ethos does not have an official launch window or platforms, but players can look forward to additional details as production advances.