🔗 Share this article

2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently working on the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Change Follows Poor Response

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' lackluster early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president David Ismailer notified staff about this decision through an internal memo, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had shown the requirement for a distinct direction.

The president noted that the developers is now reimagining the project with a refreshed vision, aiming to satisfy player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Recruitment

The news follows a similar step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the full content from Ismailer's communication:

Team—

I know you all just wrapped up your town hall - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and innovative developers we have had the pleasure to work with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to endure.”

Given your hard work and adaptability, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The player input from last autumn’s the game demo was revealing. It validated the promise of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the requirement for a sharper identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve advanced. You took the criticism to consideration and overhauled the title with a renewed goal - one that’s ready to deliver on its potential to our audience.

Our confidence in this project increases every day. To further the outstanding advancement you’ve made, It is a pleasure to welcome Ben Brinkman as the latest Director of the team. Following several months of discussions, he comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

His management and experience in the competitive gaming space is vast, having spent the past decade and a half creating and leading some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, including the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in receiving him soon. We are all eager to continue observing the evolution of the game in the weeks to ahead.

The President

Experience of the New Head

Brinkman currently holds the position of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for their flagship title. Brinkman previously was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, earlier in his career, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Vision

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 together with a public demo. At the time, the developers portrayed the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an thrilling advancement on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the description states. "Face the rivals with new abilities, risks, and obstacles that shift every session. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or aim high, put it on the line, and trust your group can achieve the highest spot? The decision is up to you."

Project Ethos has not yet received an confirmed release date or supported systems, but fans can anticipate further news as production progresses.