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2K Games has secured a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently working on the upcoming over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Follows Mixed Response

The new appointee takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster early showing last fall.

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

Ismailer expressed that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a refreshed vision, aiming to address community desires.

Trend of Key Hires

The news mirrors a similar action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock development group.

Here is the entire content from Ismailer's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just wrapped up your town hall - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and innovative designers we have had the chance to partner with - and we’re eager for that relationship to persist.”

Through your commitment and flexibility, particularly over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s the game testing phase was revealing. It validated the potential of a action-packed game but made clear we still had work to do. It highlighted the requirement for a clearer vision.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the feedback to consideration and overhauled Project ETHOS with a revitalized direction - one that’s poised to deliver on its promise to our fans.

The belief in Project ETHOS increases every day. To advance the incredible development you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce the new hire as the new Director of 31st Union. Following a period of conversations, he starts with us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s management and experience in the competitive gaming genre is vast, having dedicated the recent years producing and overseeing some of the most recognizable franchises in gaming, including the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in greeting him next week. We are all eager to continue witnessing the development of the game in the months to follow.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Leader

Brinkman presently serves in the position of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at major gaming companies in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, prior to that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Vision

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 in conjunction with a public demo. Initially, 31st Union described the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting advancement on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the official summary states. "Challenge the competition with fresh skills, challenges, and obstacles that change every match. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or go big, put it on the line, and hope your group can achieve the highest spot? The option is up to you."

The game lacks an official debut schedule or supported systems, but enthusiasts can look forward to more updates as development advances.