2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently working on the forthcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.
Management Shift Comes After Poor Response
Brinkman takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster early showing last fall.
Recently, 2K president a key figure notified staff about this decision through an official communication, which emphasized that playtesting had shown the need for a more defined vision.
Ismailer expressed that the developers is now refining Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to better meet player expectations.
A Pattern of Strategic Recruitment
This announcement mirrors a comparable action taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.
Here is the full message from Ismailer's memo:
Team—
I understand you all just finished your town hall - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a update, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented developers we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re excited for that partnership to continue.”
Given your hard work and flexibility, especially over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.
The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was enlightening. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but made clear we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the requirement for a more distinct vision.
The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the criticism to mind and reimagined Project ETHOS with a revitalized vision - one that’s positioned to achieve its potential to our fans.
The trust in this project strengthens every day. To further the incredible development you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce the new hire as the new Director of 31st Union. After some time of talks, Ben officially joins us on the specified date.
His management and background in the competitive gaming space is considerable, having spent the past decade and a half creating and overseeing some of the most recognizable franchises in gaming, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.
Let’s together in greeting him next week. We are all excited to continue observing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the time to ahead.
David
Background of the New Head
The appointee currently holds the role of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, earlier in his career, had stints at other industry leaders.
Game Details and Concept
Project Ethos was announced in last year together with a public demo. At the time, 31st Union presented the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative step forward on the category."
"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in real-time to match your preferred approach," the official summary reads. "Take on the opponents with unique powers, stakes, and tests that evolve every match. Do you safely extract with your collected items? Alternatively go big, risk it all, and pray your squad can secure victory? The option is up to you."
Project Ethos has not yet received an confirmed release date or supported systems, but fans can look forward to more updates as production continues.