The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.
Management Change Comes After Mixed Reception
The new appointee steps into the role of studio head at 31st Union following the exit of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's underwhelming early showing last autumn.
On Wednesday, 2K president a key figure informed team members about this strategic move through an official communication, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had indicated the necessity for a clearer direction.
The president expressed that the team is now reimagining the project with a revised vision, aiming to better meet gamer demands.
A Pattern of Strategic Hires
The news follows a similar step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to work on the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.
Here is the full content from Ismailer's announcement:
Dear Team—
I understand you all just completed your gathering - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the positive developments. Previously I shared 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 partner with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to endure.”
Through your commitment and flexibility, particularly over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.
The community feedback from last autumn’s the game playtest was informative. It validated the potential of a action-packed game but indicated we still had work to do. It uncovered the need for a sharper vision.
It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You accepted the input to consideration and overhauled the title with a revitalized goal - one that’s poised to deliver on its promise to our fans.
Our confidence in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To advance the remarkable advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce Ben Brinkman as the new Director of the team. Following several months of talks, Ben officially joins us on next week.
His leadership and experience in the competitive gaming genre is vast, having devoted the last 15 years developing and managing some of the most well-known series in gaming, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, the battle royale hit.
Please join me in greeting Ben next week. We are all excited to continue witnessing the development of the game in the weeks to ahead.
The President
Background of the New Head
Brinkman currently serves in the position of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman previously was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, before that, had assignments at other industry leaders.
Title Details and Concept
The upcoming game was announced in October 2024 in conjunction with a public demo. Then, 31st Union described the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an innovative advancement on the category."
"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the description reads. "Take on the competition with new abilities, risks, and obstacles that shift every session. Do you withdraw carefully with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively aim high, risk it all, and hope your squad can achieve the highest spot? The choice is up to you."
The game has not yet received an announced release date or consoles, but fans can anticipate more updates as production continues.
