2K reportedly fires 31st Union studio head and COD veteran Michael Condrey after weak reception to Project Ethos

by Danny Craig  · 
2K reportedly fires 31st Union studio head and COD veteran Michael Condrey after weak reception to Project Ethos
2K

2K has reportedly fired Call of Duty veteran Michael Condrey who served as the founder and head of its studio 31st Union after the weak reception surrounding the reveal of its debut title, Project Ethos.

The details:

  • According to Kotaku, Condrey was let go by the studio earlier this week and will now work as an advisor on Project Ethos, with 2K confirming his departure in a new statement. “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 Kotaku. “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.”

  • Project Ethos is said to have had a "challenging and rocky development cycle" under Condrey's leadership, and the decision to fire the studio founder came after the disappointing response to its reveal last year. The reveal drew little interest due to its visual similarities to Overwatch and lackluster battle royale gameplay, which was worsened by the poor reception of the reveal for PlayStation's short-lived hero shooter Concord around the same time.

  • Condrey previously co-founded Call of Duty studio Sledgehammer Games and served as the chief operating officer of Visceral Games, the original developer of Dead Space. It was announced in 2019 that he had founded 31st Union under 2K, with a Valencia office opening the following year to assist with Project Ethos' development.

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