A Kotaku report says 2K Games has removed Michael Condrey, known for his work on the Call of Duty series and Dead Space and as the co-founder of Sledgehammer Games, from his position as president of its 31st Union studio. The decision was made, according to the report, after the lacklustre reveal of the studio's upcoming free-to-play hero shooter Project Ethos.
Project Ethos seemed OK when we previewed it in October 2024, if not especially remarkable or original—although as the studio said at the time, it was still in early development. But the timing of the reveal was inauspicious, coming just over a month after another colorful hero shooter, Concord, met with disaster. It's not an exact parallel—Concord wasn't free to play, for one thing—but the hero shooter genre in general is very crowded, and the mere addition of "but with a twist" to a game that otherwise looks pretty indistinct isn't likely to get you very far. And while it's hardly a precise metric, I think it's fair to say that Project Ethos hasn't exactly generated a lot of buzz.
Two sources told Kotaku that unimpressive showing was the reason for Condrey's removal, although for now at least work on the game is continuing, and Condrey is seemingly still involved in an undefined advisory role.
"We are grateful to Michael Condrey for the dedication, passion and work ethic it took to build an incredible team and shape the vision of 31st Union," a 2K spokesperson told PC Gamer, sort of but not exactly confirming that Condrey is out. "Michael will be transitioning his role in the short term to focus on advising on the future of Project Ethos. We remain very committed to the forward path for Project Ethos and the people and culture of the 31st Union studio."
It's also worth noting that 2K Games parent company Take-Two Interactive announced layoffs and the cancellation of multiple projects in April 2024, which among other things saw the closures of Kerbal Space Program 2 developer Intercept Games and Rollerdrome studio Roll7, and the sale of its Private Division publishing label. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said when the Private Division sale was confirmed that the company is a "top-ten hit maker," and that smaller-scale releases like Obsidian's The Outer Worlds, which was published by Private Division, are "not big in the context of our core intellectual properties at 2K and Rockstar," even when they're successes. If Take-Two now views Project Ethos through that same lens, it may have decided that changes need to happen.
We may learn more about Condrey's reported ouster and the future of Project Ethos tomorrow, when 2K Games parent company Take-Two Interactive shares its quarterly financial results. We'll keep you posted.
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