🔗 Share this article

The renowned publisher has secured a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently developing the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Change Comes After Mixed Response

Brinkman takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's underwhelming initial reveal last autumn.

On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure notified employees about this organizational change through an internal memo, which highlighted that playtesting had shown the requirement for a distinct game identity.

Ismailer expressed that the developers is now overhauling the project with a refreshed focus, aiming to address player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Recruitment

The news follows a comparable step taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock development group.

Here is the entire text from Ismailer's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just wrapped up your gathering - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Last time I shared you all a note, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most driven and talented developers we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to continue.”

Through your commitment and versatility, particularly over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last fall’s the game testing phase was informative. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had refinements needed. It revealed the requirement for a sharper identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the feedback to mind and overhauled Project ETHOS with a refreshed direction - one that’s positioned to achieve its ambition to our players.

The belief in this project grows every day. To advance the outstanding advancement you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce the new hire as the new Lead of the team. After a period of conversations, Ben comes aboard us on the specified date.

His management and background in the PVP shooter field is considerable, having dedicated the recent years developing and overseeing some of the most popular franchises in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in receiving Ben soon. We are all looking forward to continue observing the development of the game in the time to come.

The President

Experience of the New Head

Brinkman currently holds the position of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman previously was employed at major gaming companies in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in last year in conjunction with a public demo. Initially, 31st Union described the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an exciting advancement on the style."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the description reads. "Face the opponents with new abilities, risks, and challenges that evolve every match. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or go big, put it on the line, and trust your group can secure victory? The decision is yours."

Project Ethos lacks an official release date or supported systems, but enthusiasts can expect more updates as production progresses.