2K makes layoffs at Project Ethos developer 31st Union

2K Games has laid off an undisclosed number of employees at 31st Union, the studio developing Project Ethos, a free-to-play hero shooter announced in 2024. Studio head Ben Brinkman, who joined the studio in October 2025 from Respawn Entertainment, announced the restructuring in an internal memo stating the studio required a “renewed direction and vision” for the project.

Brinkman emphasized that the team’s ability to “work more quickly and nimbly” was essential to success, necessitating a downsizing to align with the game’s current development stage. The project’s design direction has also shifted—originally marketed as a “roguelike hero shooter,” Project Ethos is now positioned as a “skill-based PvP roguelike experience.”

Brinkman took over leadership following the 2024 departure of Michael Condry, a veteran who previously worked on Dead Space and Call of Duty. The restructuring reflects 2K Games’ broader effort to refocus Project Ethos’s scope and accelerate development timelines within the increasingly competitive free-to-play multiplayer market.

Sources

• 2K makes layoffs at Project Ethos developer 31st Union
• 2K Games confirms layoffs at Project Ethos shooter studio and hints at new design direction: ‘It’s become clear that changes need to be made’
• 2K lay off staff at Project Ethos while touting “a renewed direction and vision” for their by-the-numbers hero shooter