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Gaming

2K Cuts Staff at Project Ethos Studio, But Says Game Will Move Forward

Emily Chen 0 comments 4 min read
2K Cuts Staff at Project Ethos Studio, But Says Game Will Move Forward

Take-Two and its subsidiary 2K Games are standing by Project Ethos despite layoffs at the developer behind the title. Studio head Ben Brinkman confirmed in an internal memo that 31st Union has scaled back its team to better match the game's current development stage, though neither he nor 2K disclosed how many positions were eliminated.

Brinkman, who joined 31st Union last year after serving as executive producer on Apex Legends at EA, expressed confidence in the project's direction despite the cuts. "I've never been more confident in the future of our game, this team, and the commitment and investment Take-Two and 2K leadership continue to show," he wrote in the memo shared with IGN.

The studio has undergone significant creative restructuring. Project Ethos is now described as a skill-based PVP roguelike experience rather than simply a hero extraction shooter. The game was originally announced in October 2024 as a free-to-play title with roguelike elements, but initial impressions were lukewarm.

The layoffs come months after 2K removed Michael Condrey, the studio's founder and former Sledgehammer Games co-founder, in February following the game's reception among players and press. At that time, 2K reaffirmed its commitment to the project, and this latest memo suggests the publisher intends to maintain that backing.

No release date has been provided. The studio, originally founded as 2K Silicon Valley in 2019 before being renamed 31st Union, is now operating on a leaner headcount aimed at accelerating development.

The struggles with Project Ethos fit a broader pattern at Take-Two. CEO Strauss Zelnick recently acknowledged that the company is wrestling with extended timelines on other titles, including a new BioShock game, saying the publisher had "wasted a lot of time and money chasing down some creative alleys that turned out to be dead ends."

Author Emily Chen: "Cutting staff while insisting a game has a great future is a tried-and-true corporate move, but whether Project Ethos can actually deliver something players care about remains an open question."

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