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The renowned publisher has welcomed a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to lead the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the anticipated over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Follows Lukewarm Response

The new appointee takes on the role of studio head at 31st Union following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming initial reveal last fall.

Recently, 2K president David Ismailer informed team members about this decision through an internal memo, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had indicated the necessity for a more defined vision.

Ismailer expressed that the team is now reimagining the project with a renewed vision, aiming to satisfy player expectations.

Trend of Key Recruitment

The news follows a comparable step taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to work on the BioShock development group.

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

Team—

I know you all just completed your meeting - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Previously I sent you all a note, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented creators we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re eager for that relationship to persist.”

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

The gamer responses from last fall’s the game demo was revealing. It confirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the need for a clearer vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve progressed. You took the criticism to heart and overhauled Project ETHOS with a renewed goal - one that’s poised to deliver on its promise to our players.

Our confidence in this project strengthens every day. To further the outstanding development you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce Ben Brinkman as the new Lead of 31st Union. After some time of talks, Ben starts with us on next week.

His leadership and experience in the competitive gaming field is extensive, having devoted the last 15 years developing and managing some of the most well-known series in gaming, such as the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in receiving him soon. We are all looking forward to continue observing the progress of the game in the weeks to ahead.

David

Experience of the Incoming Head

Brinkman presently serves in the position of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, earlier in his career, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 alongside a public demo. At the time, the developers described 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 match your preferred approach," the description reads. "Take on the competition with new abilities, stakes, and tests that evolve every match. Will you leave securely with your collected items? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and hope your group can earn top ranking? The choice is yours."

The game lacks an announced release date or supported systems, but players can look forward to more updates as development continues.