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2K Games has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently developing the anticipated third-person action-packed title known as this innovative game.

Leadership Change Follows Poor Response

Brinkman assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' disappointing early showing last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure notified employees about this decision through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the need for a clearer direction.

Ismailer expressed that the team is now overhauling the project with a refreshed vision, aiming to satisfy player expectations.

Trend of Strategic Hires

The news echoes a similar action taken by the publisher in the summer, when they recruited an industry veteran from Blizzard to assist with the beloved franchise development group.

Here is the complete content from the president's announcement:

Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your gathering - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a message, I stated the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and creative developers we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to continue.”

Given your hard work and versatility, particularly over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The player input from last autumn’s Project ETHOS playtest was enlightening. It validated the potential of a action-packed game but indicated we still had improvements to make. It revealed the requirement for a clearer brand.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the criticism to heart and reimagined the title with a refreshed direction - one that’s poised to achieve its potential to our audience.

The trust in this project grows every day. To further the remarkable progress you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of the team. Following some time of discussions, Ben starts with us on the specified date.

Ben’s guidance and background in the PVP shooter space is considerable, having dedicated the recent years creating and overseeing some of the most recognizable franchises in the industry, including the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in receiving him next week. We are all excited to keep seeing the evolution of the game in the time to follow.

David

Background of the New Head

Brinkman currently serves in the role of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, prior to that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Vision

The upcoming game was revealed in October 2024 together with a public demo. Initially, the developers presented the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an exciting step forward on the category."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the official summary explains. "Take on the opponents with fresh skills, risks, and obstacles that change every session. Will you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or go big, risk it all, and pray your squad can achieve the highest spot? The choice is yours."

The game does not have an announced launch window or platforms, but players can expect further news as development continues.