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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 crafting the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Transition Comes After Lukewarm Feedback

Brinkman assumes the role of studio head at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster early showing last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified staff about this decision through an official communication, which stressed that early feedback sessions had shown the necessity for a clearer direction.

The president stated that the team is now reimagining the project with a revised vision, aiming to address community desires.

A Pattern of Key Hires

The news follows a similar move taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock development group.

Below is the entire message from the president's announcement:

Team—

I understand you all just completed your town hall - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Last time I shared you all a message, I stated the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most driven and innovative designers we have had the pleasure to work with - and we’re looking forward for that partnership to endure.”

Through your commitment and versatility, especially over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The player input from last fall’s Project ETHOS playtest was informative. It validated the promise of a action-packed game but made clear we still had improvements to make. It revealed the necessity for a clearer identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve progressed. You took the feedback to consideration and overhauled Project ETHOS with a refreshed vision - one that’s positioned to fulfill its potential to our fans.

Our confidence in this project grows every day. To boost the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome the new hire as the incoming Director of 31st Union. After several months of conversations, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s management and expertise in the competitive gaming field is extensive, having spent the last 15 years creating and leading some of the most popular titles in gaming, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in greeting him next week. We are all excited to continue seeing the evolution of the game in the weeks to follow.

David

Experience of the Incoming Head

The appointee presently serves in the position of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He previously was employed at major gaming companies in diverse production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 in conjunction with a community playtest. At the time, the developers portrayed the title as a "no-cost, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an exciting step forward 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 game's pitch explains. "Take on the rivals with new abilities, challenges, and challenges that shift every match. Do you safely extract with your collected items? Or go big, gamble everything, and hope your group can secure victory? The option is in your hands."

Project Ethos lacks an confirmed release date or consoles, but players can anticipate additional details as development continues.