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The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the development team at 31st Union, which is currently working on the forthcoming third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Transition Comes After Poor Reception

The new appointee takes on the role of studio head at the development studio following the exit of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster initial reveal last autumn.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure informed team members about this strategic move through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the requirement for a more defined game identity.

The president noted that the team is now overhauling the project with a refreshed vision, aiming to address community desires.

Trend of Key Recruitment

The news mirrors a similar action taken by 2K Games in August, when they brought on an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the BioShock development group.

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

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just wrapped up your gathering - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Previously I shared you all a message, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and innovative designers we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re excited for that relationship to continue.”

Given your hard work and flexibility, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was informative. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but told us we still had refinements needed. It highlighted the requirement for a more distinct brand.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the criticism to consideration and revamped the title with a renewed goal - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our players.

The trust in Project ETHOS increases every day. To boost the incredible advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome the new hire as the new Director of the team. Following several months of talks, Ben comes aboard us on the specified date.

His management and experience in the PVP shooter genre is considerable, having dedicated the past decade and a half producing and managing some of the most popular franchises in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in welcoming Ben next week. We are all eager to continue seeing the development of Project ETHOS in the weeks to ahead.

The President

Experience of the New Leader

The appointee currently holds the role of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He earlier worked at major gaming companies in various development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, before that, had stints 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 "no-cost, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an exciting step forward on the genre."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to suit your personal playstyle," the description states. "Take on the opponents with fresh skills, risks, and tests that shift every round. Do you withdraw carefully with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively take a risk, risk it all, and pray your squad can secure victory? The decision is in your hands."

The game lacks an announced launch window or supported systems, but players can expect further news as development advances.