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2K Games has welcomed a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Change Follows Poor Response

The new appointee takes on the role of studio head at 31st Union following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' underwhelming unveiling last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure updated employees about this decision through an official communication, which highlighted that playtesting had revealed the necessity for a more defined direction.

The president expressed that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a refreshed focus, aiming to better meet community desires.

A Pattern of Key Recruitment

This announcement echoes a comparable step taken by 2K Games in August, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock development group.

Here is the full content from Ismailer's memo:

Dear Team—

I know you all just wrapped up your meeting - I trust you’re as thrilled as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a note, I expressed the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and talented developers we have had the pleasure to work with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to continue.”

Given your hard work and adaptability, especially over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s the game demo was enlightening. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the need for a more distinct brand.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You took the feedback to mind and revamped the title with a refreshed goal - one that’s ready to deliver on its ambition to our fans.

The trust in this project strengthens every day. To advance the outstanding progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce the new hire as the latest Director of the team. After several months of discussions, Ben starts with us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s leadership and expertise in the PVP shooter space is extensive, having spent the recent years producing and managing some of the most popular titles in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in greeting Ben soon. We are all eager to persist seeing the evolution of the game in the months to come.

The President

Experience of the New Head

The appointee presently holds the role of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Concept

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

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in real-time to match your preferred approach," the official summary states. "Take on the opponents with new abilities, challenges, and tests that change every round. Do you leave securely with your collected items? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and pray your squad can secure victory? The option is yours."

The game does not have an confirmed launch window or platforms, but players can expect additional details as production continues.