🔗 Share this article

2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Follows Poor Feedback

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer informed staff about this strategic move through an official communication, which stressed that early feedback sessions had revealed the necessity for a clearer vision.

Ismailer stated that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised approach, aiming to satisfy community desires.

A Pattern of Key Hires

This announcement follows a comparable step taken by the publisher in August, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the entire content from Ismailer's announcement:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just completed your meeting - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Previously I sent you all a message, I stated the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and creative developers we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to continue.”

Given your hard work and flexibility, particularly over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last fall’s the game testing phase was informative. It confirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had refinements needed. It uncovered the need for a clearer identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the criticism to consideration and revamped the title with a revitalized vision - one that’s ready to achieve its potential to our players.

The belief in this project strengthens every day. To boost the remarkable progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce the new hire as the new Lead of the team. Following a period of conversations, he starts with us on next week.

Ben’s management and experience in the competitive gaming space is considerable, having spent the last 15 years creating and overseeing some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, such as the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in greeting Ben in the coming days. We are all looking forward to keep observing the evolution of the game in the weeks to come.

David

Background of the Incoming Leader

The appointee currently holds the role of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, earlier in his career, had periods at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Vision

The upcoming game was announced in last year alongside a early access event. Then, 31st Union portrayed the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an innovative advancement 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 fit your unique tactics," the game's pitch explains. "Face the rivals with unique powers, risks, and obstacles that shift every match. Do you withdraw carefully with your valuable rewards? Or aim high, risk it all, and hope your group can achieve the highest spot? The choice is up to you."

The game does not have an confirmed debut schedule or supported systems, but fans can anticipate more updates as creation advances.