The Gaming Giant Hires Apex Legends Lead to Revitalize Troubled Action Game Ambitious Title

The renowned publisher has secured a seasoned producer from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Shift Comes After Mixed Response

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster initial reveal last fall.

On Wednesday, 2K president David Ismailer updated staff about this organizational change through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had revealed the need for a clearer vision.

The president stated that the team is now overhauling the project with a renewed focus, aiming to satisfy player expectations.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

This announcement follows a comparable action taken by the publisher in the summer, when they brought on an industry veteran from Blizzard to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the complete text from the president's communication:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your town hall - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a note, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and innovative designers we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to persist.”

Given your hard work and adaptability, particularly over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s the game testing phase was informative. It confirmed the promise of a action-packed game but made clear we still had refinements needed. It uncovered the requirement for a sharper vision.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You accepted the criticism to mind and revamped Project ETHOS with a refreshed direction - one that’s ready to deliver on its promise to our fans.

The trust in Project ETHOS increases every day. To advance the remarkable advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome the new hire as the incoming Director of 31st Union. After several months of conversations, he starts with us on Monday, October 20.

His leadership and experience in the competitive gaming field is vast, having spent the recent years developing and leading some of the most well-known series in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Please join me in greeting Ben in the coming days. We are all excited to persist observing the development of Project ETHOS in the weeks to come.

David

Experience of the Incoming Leader

Brinkman presently holds the role of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at major gaming companies in various development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Game Information and Vision

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 together with a public demo. At the time, the developers portrayed the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an thrilling evolution on the category."

"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 explains. "Take on the competition with new abilities, risks, and tests that evolve every match. Do you withdraw carefully with your valuable rewards? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and trust your group can secure victory? The option is yours."

Project Ethos does not have an announced launch window or platforms, but fans can anticipate additional details as creation continues.