2K Games has welcomed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the upcoming third-person action-packed title known as this innovative game.
Leadership Transition Comes After Mixed Feedback
The new appointee steps into the role of studio head at the development studio following the dismissal of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' lackluster initial reveal last autumn.
On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified team members about this decision through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had shown the need for a clearer vision.
The president noted that the developers is now refining the project with a renewed vision, aiming to better meet community desires.
Trend of Key Acquisitions
The news echoes a comparable move taken by the publisher in August, when they recruited an industry veteran from Blizzard to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.
Here is the full text from Ismailer's memo:
Hello Everyone—
I know you all just finished your town hall - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and creative developers we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that relationship to persist.”
Given your hard work and versatility, particularly over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.
The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was enlightening. It validated the potential of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the need for a clearer identity.
It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the input to heart and overhauled the title with a revitalized vision - one that’s positioned to achieve its ambition to our fans.
The trust in this project strengthens every day. To boost the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to announce the new hire as the new Director of the team. Following a period of talks, Ben comes aboard us on the specified date.
Ben’s management and experience in the competitive gaming space is extensive, having spent the recent years developing and leading some of the most popular series in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.
Please join me in greeting Ben soon. We are all excited to keep seeing the development of Project ETHOS in the weeks to come.
David
Experience of the New Head
Brinkman presently serves in the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, prior to that, had stints at other industry leaders.
Game Information and Concept
The upcoming game was unveiled in October 2024 alongside a community playtest. At the time, the developers portrayed the title as a "no-cost, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling evolution 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 official summary explains. "Take on the opponents with new abilities, challenges, and challenges that change every session. Will you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively go big, gamble everything, and pray your team can secure victory? The choice is up to you."
The game does not have an official launch window or supported systems, but players can anticipate additional details as development advances.
