A Kotaku report says 2K Video games has eliminated Michael Condrey, recognized for his work on the Name of Obligation sequence and Lifeless Area and because the co-founder of Sledgehammer Video games, from his place as president of its 31st Union studio. The choice was made, in accordance with the report, after the lacklustre reveal of the studio’s upcoming free-to-play hero shooter Undertaking Ethos.
Undertaking Ethos appeared OK once we previewed it in October 2024, if not particularly exceptional or authentic—though because the studio stated on the time, it was nonetheless in early improvement. However the timing of the reveal was inauspicious, coming simply over a month after one other colourful hero shooter, Harmony, met with catastrophe. It is not an actual parallel—Harmony wasn’t free to play, for one factor—however the hero shooter style typically may be very crowded, and the mere addition of “however with a twist” to a sport that in any other case appears fairly vague is not prone to get you very far. And whereas it is hardly a exact metric, I feel it is honest to say that Undertaking Ethos hasn’t precisely generated a whole lot of buzz.
Two sources advised Kotaku that unimpressive displaying was the rationale for Condrey’s elimination, though for now at the least work on the sport is continuous, and Condrey is seemingly nonetheless concerned in an undefined advisory function.
“We’re grateful to Michael Condrey for the dedication, ardour and work ethic it took to construct an unimaginable crew and form the imaginative and prescient of thirty first Union,” a 2K spokesperson advised PC Gamer, form of however not precisely confirming that Condrey is out. “Michael will likely be transitioning his function within the brief time period to give attention to advising on the way forward for Undertaking Ethos. We stay very dedicated to the ahead path for Undertaking Ethos and the individuals and tradition of the thirty first Union studio.”
It is also value noting that 2K Video games guardian firm Take-Two Interactive introduced layoffs and the cancellation of a number of tasks in April 2024, which amongst different issues noticed the closures of Kerbal Area Program 2 developer Intercept Video games and Rollerdrome studio Roll7, and the sale of its Non-public Division publishing label. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated when the Non-public Division sale was confirmed that the corporate is a “top-ten hit maker,” and that smaller-scale releases like Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds, which was revealed by Non-public Division, are “not massive within the context of our core mental properties at 2K and Rockstar,” even after they’re successes. If Take-Two now views Undertaking Ethos by way of that very same lens, it might have determined that adjustments have to occur.
We might be taught extra about Condrey’s reported ouster and the way forward for Undertaking Ethos tomorrow, when 2K Video games guardian firm Take-Two Interactive shares its quarterly monetary outcomes. We’ll preserve you posted.
