31st Union layoffs: Take-Two rightsizes Project Ethos rather than cancel after 6+ years of spend
Summary
2K's 31st Union studio cut undisclosed staff on Project Ethos, in development since the studio's 2019 founding
Former studio head Michael Condrey was ousted after a lukewarm 2024 reveal; Apex Legends veteran Ben Brinkman replaced him
Project Ethos is pivoting from "roguelike hero shooter" to "skill-based PVP roguelike" with a new fantasy visual identity
Take-Two is preserving the asset, not killing it - a sunk-cost salvage play in a collapsing hero-shooter market
"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"
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Brinkman frames cuts as resizing, not retreat
Staff cuts hit 31st Union on May 7, 2026; headcount undisclosed
Brinkman's memo: "scale back our team to better align with where we are in development"
He joined six months after Condrey's departure following the game's muted 2024 reveal
New concept art signals a shift from Fortnite-adjacent aesthetic toward a fantasy style
GameSpot's hands-on preview had flagged the core issue: "delightfully different" but lacked identity
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Six years of sunk cost makes cancellation more expensive than a pivot
31st Union has been running since 2019 - over six years of development spend
Project Ethos launched into a collapsing market, announced in 2024 shortly after Sony's Concord imploded
In February 2025, it was reported Project Ethos would have to "pivot or be killed"
The game remains on Take-Two's upcoming titles list
CEO Strauss Zelnick has cited it as part of "the most robust lineup I've ever been able to talk about in advance"
03
Genre pivot targets less crowded territory
Shift from "roguelike hero shooter" to "skill-based PVP roguelike" exits the category that killed Concord
Roguelike PVP avoids direct competition with Fortnite, Valorant, and Overwatch 2
Brinkman brings five years as executive producer on Apex Legends plus a decade on Call of Duty
"Our studio is committed to building a bold new game with a renewed direction and vision - a skill-based PVP roguelike experience that will challenge and thrill players"
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