2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the anticipated third-person action-packed title known as this innovative game.
Management Change Follows Lukewarm Reception
The new appointee takes on the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster initial reveal last fall.
On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure updated employees about this decision through an internal memo, which highlighted that playtesting had shown the need for a distinct direction.
The president expressed that the developers is now refining the project with a renewed vision, aiming to satisfy community desires.
A Pattern of Key Hires
The news echoes a similar move taken by 2K Games in August, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.
Here is the entire text from the president's memo:
Team—
I understand you all just completed your meeting - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a message, I stated the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most driven and innovative designers we have had the chance to work with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to continue.”
Given your hard work and flexibility, especially over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.
The community feedback from last autumn’s the game testing phase was revealing. It confirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had refinements needed. It uncovered the requirement for a clearer identity.
It has been motivating to see how far you’ve advanced. You took the input to consideration and reimagined the title with a renewed goal - one that’s positioned to deliver on its promise to our players.
The trust in this project strengthens every day. To boost the incredible development you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce Ben Brinkman as the latest Director of 31st Union. After some time of discussions, Ben officially joins us on the specified date.
Ben’s guidance and background in the PVP shooter genre is vast, having spent the recent years creating and managing some of the most well-known titles in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, the battle royale hit.
I invite you all in welcoming him in the coming days. We are all looking forward to keep witnessing the progress of Project ETHOS in the weeks to ahead.
The President
Experience of the New Head
The appointee presently holds the position of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at major gaming companies in multiple development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, before that, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Title Information and Concept
Project Ethos was revealed in last year alongside a early access event. Then, the developers presented the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting step forward on the style."
"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 game's pitch states. "Challenge the competition with unique powers, stakes, and challenges that shift every round. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or aim high, risk it all, and pray your group can earn top ranking? The option is in your hands."
Project Ethos lacks an announced debut schedule or platforms, but players can anticipate more updates as creation continues.
