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The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Transition Follows Poor Reception

Brinkman takes on the role of studio head at the development studio following the exit of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's underwhelming early showing last autumn.

Recently, 2K president a key figure informed employees about this strategic move through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had indicated the need for a clearer direction.

The president noted that the developers is now refining the project with a renewed approach, aiming to satisfy player expectations.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

The news mirrors a similar action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to assist with the beloved franchise development group.

Below is the entire text from Ismailer's announcement:

Team—

I understand you all just finished your gathering - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the positive developments. Last time I shared you all a message, I stated the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and talented creators we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re eager for that relationship to persist.”

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

The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was revealing. It affirmed the appeal of a action-packed game but made clear we still had work to do. It uncovered the need for a more distinct identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the feedback to mind and overhauled Project ETHOS with a refreshed goal - one that’s positioned to deliver on its potential to our players.

Our confidence in this project grows every day. To further the remarkable progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce Ben Brinkman as the new Lead of the team. After some time of discussions, Ben officially joins us on next week.

His management and expertise in the PVP shooter field is extensive, having dedicated the past decade and a half producing and managing some of the most recognizable series in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in receiving him soon. We are all eager to continue witnessing the evolution of the game in the months to ahead.

David

Experience of the Incoming Head

Brinkman currently holds the position of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Vision

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 alongside a public demo. At the time, 31st Union presented the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting advancement on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the description reads. "Take on the competition with fresh skills, stakes, and tests that shift every round. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Alternatively aim high, risk it all, and hope your squad can secure victory? The decision is up to you."

The game does not have an official launch window or supported systems, but enthusiasts can anticipate more updates as creation advances.