🔗 Share this article

2K Games has secured a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the development team at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the forthcoming third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Transition Comes After Lukewarm Reception

Brinkman takes on the role of studio head at 31st Union following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster early showing last autumn.

On Wednesday, 2K president David Ismailer informed employees about this decision through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the necessity for a more defined game identity.

Ismailer expressed that the developers is now refining Project Ethos with a renewed focus, aiming to address community desires.

A Pattern of Strategic Acquisitions

The news echoes a similar action taken by 2K Games in August, when they recruited an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the entire text from Ismailer's announcement:

Team—

I know you all just completed your gathering - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the recent updates. Previously I shared you all a message, I stated the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented creators we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to endure.”

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

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS playtest was enlightening. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but made clear we still had refinements needed. It revealed the requirement for a sharper brand.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You took the criticism to mind and overhauled Project ETHOS with a refreshed goal - one that’s poised to fulfill its promise to our fans.

The trust in Project ETHOS increases every day. To further the remarkable advancement you’ve made, It is a pleasure to welcome Ben Brinkman as the latest Director of 31st Union. Following several months of discussions, he officially joins us on the specified date.

His guidance and background in the competitive gaming genre is extensive, having spent the past decade and a half developing and overseeing some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in greeting Ben in the coming days. We are all looking forward to persist seeing the evolution of the game in the time to follow.

David

Experience of the New Head

Brinkman presently serves in the position of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Vision

The upcoming game was revealed in last year together with a public demo. At the time, the developers portrayed the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an exciting advancement on the style."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch states. "Take on the rivals with fresh skills, stakes, and obstacles that shift every round. Will you withdraw carefully with your collected items? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and hope your team can earn top ranking? The option is in your hands."

The game has not yet received an confirmed launch window or platforms, but fans can anticipate additional details as development continues.