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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the upcoming third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Transition Follows Mixed Response

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's underwhelming initial reveal last autumn.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure updated employees about this decision through an internal memo, which highlighted that playtesting had indicated the need for a clearer direction.

The president noted that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to satisfy community desires.

A Pattern of Strategic Recruitment

The news echoes a similar step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise development group.

Below is the complete text from the president's memo:

Team—

I know you all just wrapped up your gathering - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a note, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and creative creators we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that partnership to continue.”

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

The gamer responses from last fall’s Project ETHOS playtest was revealing. It confirmed the appeal of a action-packed game but told us we still had work to do. It highlighted the need for a more distinct brand.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve advanced. You accepted the input to heart and reimagined Project ETHOS with a revitalized vision - one that’s ready to achieve its potential to our fans.

The belief in this project strengthens every day. To further the incredible development you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome Ben Brinkman as the new Studio Head of the team. Following some time of discussions, Ben starts with us on the specified date.

His guidance and background in the PVP shooter genre is considerable, having dedicated the past decade and a half developing and managing some of the most recognizable titles in the industry, including the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in greeting Ben next week. We are all excited to keep observing the development of the game in the months to ahead.

The President

Background of the New Leader

The appointee presently serves in the role of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Information and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 together with a public demo. Initially, the developers described the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an thrilling evolution on the genre."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the official summary explains. "Take on the opponents with fresh skills, risks, and challenges that evolve every session. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively take a risk, gamble everything, and hope your team can secure victory? The decision is yours."

The game does not have an confirmed release date or supported systems, but fans can expect more updates as development advances.