🔗 Share this article

The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Change Comes After Poor Feedback

Brinkman takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing initial reveal last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president David Ismailer updated team members about this strategic move through an official communication, which stressed that early feedback sessions had indicated the requirement for a more defined vision.

The president expressed that the team is now refining Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to satisfy player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Acquisitions

The news mirrors a similar move taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired an industry veteran from Blizzard to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the entire content from Ismailer's communication:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just wrapped up your gathering - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Previously I shared you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and creative developers we have had the pleasure to work with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to persist.”

With your dedication and adaptability, particularly over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.

The community feedback from last fall’s the game testing phase was informative. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but indicated we still had refinements needed. It uncovered the need for a clearer identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You accepted the criticism to consideration and overhauled the title with a revitalized vision - one that’s poised to achieve its promise to our fans.

The trust in this project grows every day. To advance the remarkable progress you’ve made, I’m excited to announce the new hire as the latest Lead of 31st Union. Following several months of talks, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

His leadership and background in the PVP shooter space is extensive, having dedicated the last 15 years developing and leading some of the most popular series in gaming, including the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, Apex Legends.

Please join me in receiving him in the coming days. We are all excited to continue seeing the development of Project ETHOS in the weeks to follow.

David

Background of the Incoming Leader

Brinkman presently holds the role of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier worked at major gaming companies in various development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, before that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Details and Vision

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 together with a community playtest. At the time, 31st Union portrayed the game as a "no-cost, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an exciting evolution 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 description states. "Face the rivals with fresh skills, challenges, and challenges that shift every round. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively go big, risk it all, and pray your group can earn top ranking? The choice is in your hands."

Project Ethos lacks an official debut schedule or consoles, but players can anticipate further news as production advances.