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2K Games has welcomed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently working on the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Change Follows Mixed Reception

The new appointee steps into the role of studio head at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to the game's disappointing unveiling last fall.

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

Ismailer noted that the developers is now overhauling the project with a revised approach, aiming to satisfy community desires.

A Pattern of Key Acquisitions

This announcement follows a comparable move taken by the publisher in August, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise development group.

Below is the complete content from Ismailer's memo:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just finished your meeting - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Last time I sent you all a message, I stated the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most driven and innovative designers we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re excited for that relationship to endure.”

Through your commitment and versatility, especially over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The player input from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was informative. It validated the promise of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had work to do. It highlighted the necessity for a sharper brand.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the criticism to mind and revamped Project ETHOS with a renewed vision - one that’s poised to achieve its ambition to our players.

Our confidence in this project grows every day. To boost the remarkable advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce the new hire as the latest Lead of 31st Union. After some time of talks, he starts with us on next week.

His guidance and experience in the PVP shooter genre is considerable, having devoted the recent years creating and overseeing some of the most popular franchises in gaming, for example the acclaimed shooter, and lately, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in greeting Ben next week. We are all eager to continue witnessing the development of the game in the time to ahead.

The President

Background of the New Head

The appointee currently serves in the position of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He previously was employed at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Concept

The upcoming game was revealed in October 2024 together with a public demo. Initially, 31st Union described the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an exciting evolution on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the official summary reads. "Take on the rivals with new abilities, stakes, and obstacles that change every match. Will you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Alternatively take a risk, risk it all, and pray your group can secure victory? The option is yours."

The game does not have an confirmed debut schedule or consoles, but players can anticipate further news as development progresses.