Call of Duty veteran reportedly fired by 2K following muted response to "roguelike hero shooter" Project Ethos

Publisher say it's still "very committed".

Call of Duty veteran Michael Condrey has reportedly been fired as the head of 2K Games studio 31st Union after its debut project, free-to-play hero shooter Project Ethos, recieved a muted reponse on its reveal toward the end of last year.

Condrey, who co-founded Call of Duty developer Sledgehammer Games, was confirmed to be leading 2K's 31st Union in 2019. A year later, Condrey teased the studio was working on an "ambitious and inspired new IP" - but it wasn't until last October that the game, now known as Project Ethos, was finally revealed.

Project Ethos was officially described as a free-to-play "roguelike hero shooter", and featured a colourful art style reminiscent of Blizzard's Overwatch. Unfortunately, its unveiling came just months after consumer apathy led to the rapid demise of PlayStation's Concord - and it appears there wasn't much enthusiasm for Project Ethos either.

In a new report by Kotaku, sources claim Project Ethos - which is said to have faced a "challenging and rocky development cycle" under Condrey - was revealed to "little fanfare or apparent player interest". That seemingly sparked a chain of events leading to Condrey's reported firing as 31st Union's studio head earlier this week.

In a statement provided to Kotaku, 2K confirmed Condrey's departure as 31st Union president, saying he would be "transitioning his role in the short term to focus on advising on the future of Project Ethos". The publisher also insisted it remains "very committed to the forward path for Project Ethos and the people and culture of the 31st Union studio."

"We are grateful to Michael Condrey," it added, "for the dedication, passion and work ethic it took to build an incredible team and shape the vision of 31st Union."

2K, of course, has packed slate of major releases over the next 12 months, with Civilization 7, Borderlands 4, Mafia: The Old Country, BioShock creator Ken Levine's Judas, and Rockstar Games behemoth Grand Theft Auto 6 all on the way.