The tepid player response to recent big-budget live-service titles has left many fans of the genre--this writer included--wondering which studio would be next to unveil a new live-service shooter in an era that is already oversaturated with them. After the striking failure of Concord, who would be brave enough to step onto the stage and attempt to sell players on their latest live-service creation?

Rather unexpectedly, the answer is 2K Games, which revealed its newest title last week. Known as Project Ethos, 2K's new free-to-play title was developed by 31st Union, which describes the game as a "third-person roguelike hero-shooter." If you're wondering what the hell that means, you're not alone, but after attending the game's hands-on preview event and getting a feel for Project Ethos, I'm pretty well-equipped to explain the game's (admittedly somewhat convoluted) premise.

31st Union is the first to admit that the game's concept is a little difficult to describe in a concise manner, declaring in a recent press release, "The best way to learn about Project Ethos is to play it."

The tepid player response to recent big-budget live-service titles has left many fans of the genre--this writer included--wondering which studio would be next to unveil a new live-service shooter in an era that is already oversaturated with them. After the striking failure of Concord, who would be brave enough to step onto the stage and attempt to sell players on their latest live-service creation?

Rather unexpectedly, the answer is 2K Games, which revealed its newest title last week. Known as Project Ethos, 2K's new free-to-play title was developed by 31st Union, which describes the game as a "third-person roguelike hero-shooter." If you're wondering what the hell that means, you're not alone, but after attending the game's hands-on preview event and getting a feel for Project Ethos, I'm pretty well-equipped to explain the game's (admittedly somewhat convoluted) premise.

31st Union is the first to admit that the game's concept is a little difficult to describe in a concise manner, declaring in a recent press release, "The best way to learn about Project Ethos is to play it."