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The renowned publisher has appointed a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently working on the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Transition Follows Lukewarm Response

The new appointee takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the dismissal of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's lackluster early showing last autumn.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure informed staff about this decision through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had indicated the need for a distinct game identity.

The president stated that the team is now reimagining the project with a refreshed focus, aiming to satisfy player expectations.

A Pattern of Strategic Acquisitions

This announcement follows a similar move taken by the publisher in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock development group.

Below is the complete message from the president's announcement:

Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your gathering - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Previously I shared you all a message, I expressed the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most motivated and creative creators we have had the chance to work with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to persist.”

With your dedication and versatility, especially over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last fall’s the game testing phase was revealing. It validated the appeal of a action-packed game but told us we still had work to do. It revealed the necessity for a sharper vision.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the input to mind and reimagined Project ETHOS with a renewed direction - one that’s ready to achieve its potential to our fans.

Our confidence in this project strengthens every day. To boost the remarkable progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to announce the new hire as the new Director of the team. Following several months of discussions, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

His leadership and expertise in the competitive gaming space is extensive, having dedicated the past decade and a half producing and managing some of the most well-known franchises in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in receiving Ben in the coming days. We are all looking forward to persist seeing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the weeks to come.

David

Experience of the Incoming Leader

The appointee presently holds the role of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the iconic franchise games, and, before that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Concept

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 alongside a community playtest. Initially, 31st Union presented the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting evolution on the category."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch explains. "Take on the competition with fresh skills, risks, and challenges that evolve every session. Will you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Alternatively aim high, gamble everything, and pray your group can achieve the highest spot? The decision is up to you."

Project Ethos has not yet received an announced release date or platforms, but fans can anticipate more updates as creation progresses.