The renowned publisher 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.
Management Shift Comes After Poor Feedback
Brinkman takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's underwhelming early showing last autumn.
Recently, 2K president a key figure notified staff about this strategic move through an official communication, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had indicated the necessity for a distinct game identity.
The president stated that the developers is now overhauling the project with a renewed approach, aiming to satisfy player expectations.
Trend of Strategic Hires
The news follows a comparable action taken by the publisher in the summer, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.
Below is the entire message from the president's communication:
Hello Everyone—
I know you all just completed your gathering - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Previously I shared you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and innovative designers we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to persist.”
With your dedication and versatility, particularly over the last year, you continue to prove that.
The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS playtest was revealing. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but made clear we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the requirement for a sharper vision.
It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You took the feedback to consideration and reimagined Project ETHOS with a renewed goal - one that’s positioned to achieve its potential to our fans.
Our confidence in Project ETHOS increases every day. To further the incredible progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to announce the new hire as the latest Lead of the team. After a period of conversations, he officially joins us on the specified date.
Ben’s management and experience in the PVP shooter genre is considerable, having dedicated the recent years producing and managing some of the most well-known series in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.
Please join me in receiving Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to continue seeing the development of the game in the time to follow.
The President
Background of the New Head
Brinkman currently serves in the position of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He previously was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, prior to that, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Title Details and Vision
Project Ethos was unveiled in last year together with a community playtest. Initially, 31st Union portrayed the title as a "no-cost, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an exciting step forward on the style."
"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to suit your personal playstyle," the game's pitch states. "Face the competition with new abilities, challenges, and tests that shift every session. Will you withdraw carefully with your collected items? Or take a risk, put it on the line, and pray your team can achieve the highest spot? The decision is up to you."
The game does not have an announced debut schedule or platforms, but fans can look forward to additional details as production progresses.
