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2K Games has secured a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently developing the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Comes After Poor Feedback

Brinkman takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure informed staff about this strategic move through an internal memo, which stressed that early feedback sessions had revealed the need for a distinct game identity.

Ismailer noted that the developers is now refining Project Ethos with a renewed vision, aiming to satisfy community desires.

A Pattern of Key Recruitment

The news mirrors a similar action taken by the publisher in August, when they hired Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to work on the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the full message from the president's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just finished your gathering - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Last time I sent you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and talented designers we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to endure.”

With your dedication and adaptability, especially over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was revealing. It affirmed the potential of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the need for a sharper brand.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the criticism to consideration and overhauled the title with a refreshed vision - one that’s ready to achieve its promise to our players.

The trust in this project strengthens every day. To further the outstanding progress you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce the new hire as the new Studio Head of the team. After a period of conversations, Ben comes aboard us on next week.

Ben’s leadership and expertise in the PVP shooter field is extensive, having spent the past decade and a half producing and overseeing some of the most well-known titles in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in greeting Ben next week. We are all excited to continue observing the progress of the game in the weeks to ahead.

David

Background of the Incoming Head

The appointee presently serves in the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at major gaming companies in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, prior to that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in last year together with a community playtest. Initially, the developers described the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an exciting evolution on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the description reads. "Face the opponents with new abilities, challenges, and obstacles that shift every round. Will you withdraw carefully with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively go big, put it on the line, and pray your squad can achieve the highest spot? The decision is yours."

Project Ethos does not have an official release date or supported systems, but fans can expect further news as production progresses.