2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.
Management Shift Follows Poor Reception
Brinkman assumes the role of studio head at 31st Union following the departure of previous head 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 notified staff about this decision through an internal memo, which stressed that early feedback sessions had revealed the requirement for a clearer direction.
Ismailer noted that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a refreshed focus, aiming to better meet gamer demands.
A Pattern of Strategic Hires
The news follows a similar step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they recruited an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise development group.
Here is the full text from Ismailer's announcement:
Hello Everyone—
I understand you all just finished your meeting - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most motivated and talented developers we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re looking forward for that partnership to persist.”
With your dedication and adaptability, particularly over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.
The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was revealing. It confirmed the potential of a action-packed game but told us we still had work to do. It revealed the requirement for a sharper vision.
The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the input to heart and overhauled Project ETHOS with a refreshed direction - one that’s positioned to achieve its ambition to our audience.
The trust in this project increases every day. To advance the incredible advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to announce Ben Brinkman as the new Studio Head of the team. Following a period of conversations, he starts with us on next week.
His guidance and expertise in the competitive gaming space is vast, having devoted the recent years creating and managing some of the most well-known franchises in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, Apex Legends.
Let’s together in receiving Ben next week. We are all looking forward to persist observing the progress of Project ETHOS in the months to ahead.
David
Experience of the New Leader
Brinkman currently holds the role of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He earlier was employed at major gaming companies in various development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Title Details and Concept
The upcoming game was announced in October 2024 in conjunction with a early access event. At the time, the developers portrayed the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an innovative advancement 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 suit your personal playstyle," the game's pitch states. "Challenge the rivals with unique powers, stakes, and obstacles that shift every session. Do you leave securely with your collected items? Or take a risk, put it on the line, and hope your group can secure victory? The option is yours."
Project Ethos does not have an official debut schedule or platforms, but fans can anticipate additional details as creation progresses.