2K has reaffirmed its help for Third-person motion roguelike shooter Venture Ethos, and has appointed the previous govt producer for Apex Legends as the brand new studio head of developer thirty first Union.
This information was shared with staff at present in a city corridor adopted by an inner memo, the latter of which was shared with IGN by 2K. The memo, written by 2K president David Ismailer, states that Ben Brinkman will take over as studio head of thirty first Union starting Monday, October 20. Brinkman will oversee Venture Ethos growth as the sport is “reimagined” “with a renewed imaginative and prescient” after the sport’s 2024 playtests revealed a necessity for “a extra distinct identification.”
Here is an excerpt from the memo:
The neighborhood suggestions from final fall’s Venture ETHOS playtest was enlightening. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter however instructed us we nonetheless had work to do. It uncovered the necessity for a extra distinct identification.
It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You took the suggestions to coronary heart and reimagined Venture ETHOS with a renewed imaginative and prescient – one which’s poised to ship on its promise to our gamers
Our confidence in Venture ETHOS grows every single day. To additional the unbelievable progress you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome Ben Brinkman as the brand new Studio Head of thirty first Union. After a number of months of conversations, Ben formally joins us on Monday, October 20.
Brinkman joins thirty first Union straight from EA, the place he had beforehand been working as govt producer on Apex Legends since 2020, following six years at Treyarch on Name of Responsibility. IGN has reached out to EA for touch upon what this implies for Apex Legends, and who will probably be taking up Brinkman’s former function.
Venture Ethos was first introduced in October of final yr as a free-to-play, third-person, hero extraction shooter with some roguelike parts. It is being developed by thirty first Union, a studio based in 2019 by ex-Sledgehammer Video games co-founder Michael Condrey and initially known as 2K Silicon Valley. We previewed Venture Ethos on the time, and appreciated it fantastic, however stated it “fails at being a brand new expertise that gamers will crave time and again.” Different shops shared comparable suggestions, that the sport was enjoyable sufficient however did not do something vital to face out in a crowded style.
thirty first Union has been quiet on the Venture Ethos entrance since then, however in February this yr, Kotaku reported that Condrey was fired by 2K Video games as a result of lukewarm reception of the sport. On the time, 2K reassured staff it might proceed to help the undertaking.
This information signifies that 2K is certainly making good on its promise to proceed to help Venture Ethos, even amidst ongoing issues that the viewers for on-line, multiplayer shooters – particularly extraction shooters – is worn out. However it could be some time earlier than we get one other replace given the wording of the e-mail.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You’ll find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Obtained a narrative tip? Ship it to [email protected].