2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the development team at 31st Union, which is currently working on the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.
Leadership Change Comes After Poor Feedback
The new appointee assumes the role of studio head at 31st Union following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' disappointing initial reveal last fall.
Recently, the company's top executive a key figure informed staff about this decision through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had shown the requirement for a distinct direction.
The president noted that the team is now reimagining the project with a renewed vision, aiming to better meet community desires.
Trend of Key Hires
This announcement follows a similar move taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.
Below is the entire text from the president's announcement:
Dear Team—
I understand you all just completed your gathering - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the positive developments. Previously I sent you all a note, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most driven and talented designers we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that relationship to continue.”
Given your hard work and flexibility, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.
The player input from last autumn’s the game playtest was enlightening. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the necessity for a clearer identity.
The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve advanced. You accepted the feedback to heart and overhauled the title with a revitalized vision - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our audience.
The belief in Project ETHOS grows every day. To boost the remarkable advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of 31st Union. After some time of conversations, Ben starts with us on the specified date.
His guidance and background in the PVP shooter space is considerable, having spent the past decade and a half developing and overseeing some of the most well-known titles in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.
Please join me in welcoming Ben soon. We are all looking forward to continue witnessing the evolution of the game in the time to follow.
David
Experience of the New Leader
The appointee currently serves in the role of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He earlier worked at major gaming companies in diverse production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, before that, had stints at other industry leaders.
Game Information and Concept
Project Ethos was unveiled in last year in conjunction with a public demo. Then, the developers presented the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative advancement on the genre."
"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch explains. "Take on the opponents with fresh skills, stakes, and challenges that change every round. Will you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively go big, gamble everything, and hope your squad can secure victory? The choice is in your hands."
The game does not have an official launch window or consoles, but players can look forward to additional details as production progresses.
