2K Games has appointed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the upcoming over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as this innovative game.
Leadership Transition Follows Lukewarm Reception
Brinkman assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last fall.
On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure informed team members about this organizational change through an internal memo, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had revealed the requirement for a distinct vision.
The president expressed that the team is now reimagining Project Ethos with a revised approach, aiming to satisfy player expectations.
A Pattern of Strategic Hires
The news follows a similar action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.
Here is the complete content from Ismailer's communication:
Hello Everyone—
I know you all just wrapped up your gathering - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Previously I shared you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and innovative developers we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that partnership to persist.”
Given your hard work and adaptability, especially over the last year, you repeatedly show that.
The community feedback from last fall’s the game testing phase was revealing. It confirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had work to do. It revealed the need for a more distinct brand.
The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the criticism to consideration and overhauled the title with a revitalized goal - one that’s positioned to fulfill its ambition to our audience.
Our confidence in this project increases every day. To further the remarkable advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to announce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Lead of 31st Union. Following some time of talks, Ben starts with us on next week.
Ben’s guidance and background in the competitive gaming genre is vast, having devoted the past decade and a half producing and leading some of the most recognizable franchises in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, the battle royale hit.
I invite you all in receiving him in the coming days. We are all eager to persist observing the progress of the game in the weeks to come.
David
Experience of the Incoming Head
The appointee currently holds the position of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Title Information and Concept
Project Ethos was unveiled in last year alongside a community playtest. Then, 31st Union described the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person action-packed experience and an exciting advancement on the genre."
"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the description states. "Challenge the opponents with new abilities, challenges, and challenges that change every session. Do you safely extract with your collected items? Alternatively go big, gamble everything, and pray your team can achieve the highest spot? The choice is up to you."
Project Ethos lacks an announced release date or consoles, but fans can look forward to further news as creation continues.
