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The renowned publisher has welcomed a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to lead the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Transition Comes After Poor Response

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's disappointing early showing last fall.

Recently, 2K president a key figure notified employees about this decision through an internal memo, which stressed that early feedback sessions had shown the necessity for a more defined vision.

Ismailer expressed that the developers is now overhauling the project with a refreshed focus, aiming to satisfy gamer demands.

A Pattern of Key Acquisitions

This announcement echoes a similar action taken by the publisher in August, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the complete content from Ismailer's announcement:

Team—

I know you all just completed your meeting - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Previously I sent you all a note, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most motivated and creative creators we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re eager for that relationship to persist.”

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

The gamer responses from last fall’s the game playtest was enlightening. It confirmed the potential of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the necessity for a more distinct vision.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the criticism to mind and overhauled the title with a renewed goal - one that’s ready to achieve its ambition to our players.

The trust in this project strengthens every day. To further the outstanding development you’ve made, I am thrilled to welcome the new hire as the new Director of the team. After some time of discussions, he officially joins us on the specified date.

His management and experience in the competitive gaming field is considerable, having devoted the last 15 years creating and leading some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, such as the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in greeting Ben soon. We are all eager to continue seeing the progress of Project ETHOS in the time to come.

David

Background of the New Leader

The appointee currently holds the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, before that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Concept

Project Ethos was unveiled in October 2024 alongside a community playtest. Then, 31st Union portrayed the title as a "no-cost, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an innovative step forward on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the description explains. "Face the opponents with fresh skills, challenges, and obstacles that shift every session. Do you withdraw carefully with your collected items? Alternatively take a risk, put it on the line, and pray your group can secure victory? The choice is in your hands."

The game has not yet received an official debut schedule or consoles, but players can look forward to further news as production progresses.