2K Hires Popular Battle Royale Lead to Rescue Troubled Hero Shooter Ambitious Title

2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the forthcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Transition Comes After Lukewarm Reception

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at 31st Union following the dismissal of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure notified staff about this strategic move through an official communication, which stressed that early feedback sessions had shown the requirement for a clearer vision.

The president expressed that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a refreshed approach, aiming to address player expectations.

Trend of Strategic Hires

This announcement echoes a comparable move taken by 2K Games in August, when they brought on an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise development group.

Here is the entire text from the president's memo:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just finished your meeting - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Last time I sent you all a note, I stated the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most driven and creative developers we have had the chance to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to endure.”

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

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS playtest was enlightening. It confirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the requirement for a clearer brand.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the input to consideration and revamped Project ETHOS with a renewed goal - one that’s poised to fulfill its potential to our players.

Our confidence in this project grows every day. To further the remarkable advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to announce the new hire as the latest Director of the team. After some time of talks, he starts with us on the specified date.

Ben’s leadership and background in the competitive gaming genre is extensive, having spent the recent years creating and leading some of the most well-known franchises in the industry, such as the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in greeting him next week. We are all looking forward to keep witnessing the progress of Project ETHOS in the months to come.

David

Background of the New Leader

The appointee presently serves in the role of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was announced in last year together with a community playtest. Then, the developers portrayed the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an thrilling advancement on the genre."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the game's pitch explains. "Take on the opponents with unique powers, risks, and challenges that shift every match. Do you leave securely with your valuable rewards? Alternatively go big, gamble everything, and pray your squad can earn top ranking? The option is in your hands."

Project Ethos lacks an official debut schedule or platforms, but players can look forward to more updates as development progresses.