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2K Games has appointed a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently developing the forthcoming over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Follows Mixed Reception

The new appointee steps into the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's underwhelming initial reveal last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified employees about this organizational change through an official communication, which emphasized that playtesting had indicated the need for a clearer vision.

The president expressed that the team is now refining the project with a refreshed approach, aiming to satisfy gamer demands.

A Pattern of Key Hires

The news echoes a similar step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

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

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just finished your meeting - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Previously I sent you all a update, I stated the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most motivated and talented creators we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to continue.”

Through your commitment and flexibility, particularly over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.

The player input from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was revealing. It affirmed the potential of a action-packed game but told us we still had work to do. It highlighted the necessity for a clearer identity.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the criticism to heart and overhauled Project ETHOS with a revitalized goal - one that’s positioned to achieve its ambition to our audience.

The belief in Project ETHOS grows every day. To boost the remarkable development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to welcome Ben Brinkman as the latest Lead of the team. Following a period of talks, Ben officially joins us on the specified date.

His leadership and expertise in the competitive gaming field is extensive, having dedicated the past decade and a half producing and leading some of the most popular franchises in the industry, such as the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in welcoming him in the coming days. We are all eager to keep observing the development of the game in the weeks to ahead.

David

Experience of the New Head

The appointee currently holds the role of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, prior to that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Game Information and Concept

Project Ethos was unveiled in October 2024 alongside a community playtest. Initially, 31st Union described the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an thrilling advancement on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the official summary reads. "Take on the opponents with new abilities, risks, and challenges that evolve every match. Will you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or go big, risk it all, and hope your group can earn top ranking? The option is yours."

The game has not yet received an official release date or supported systems, but players can anticipate further news as creation progresses.