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The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the forthcoming over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Change Follows Mixed Feedback

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' disappointing unveiling last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated employees about this decision through an official communication, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had revealed the need for a clearer vision.

Ismailer noted that the team is now reimagining the project with a renewed vision, aiming to satisfy gamer demands.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

This announcement mirrors a comparable action taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the full text from the president's memo:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just completed your town hall - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the positive developments. Last time I shared you all a update, I expressed the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most driven and innovative creators we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to continue.”

Through your commitment and adaptability, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was revealing. It validated the appeal of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the need for a more distinct brand.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the input to mind and revamped the title with a refreshed goal - one that’s poised to deliver on its promise to our players.

Our confidence in this project increases every day. To further the remarkable advancement you’ve made, It is a pleasure to welcome Ben Brinkman as the incoming Studio Head of 31st Union. After some time of talks, he officially joins us on next week.

Ben’s leadership and expertise in the PVP shooter space is vast, having devoted the past decade and a half developing and leading some of the most popular franchises in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in greeting him in the coming days. We are all looking forward to continue observing the progress of Project ETHOS in the weeks to come.

David

Experience of the New Head

The appointee presently holds the position of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty series, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Details and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in last year in conjunction with a community playtest. Then, 31st Union described the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative advancement on the genre."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the description reads. "Challenge the competition with new abilities, stakes, and challenges that evolve every match. Will you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or aim high, gamble everything, and pray your squad can earn top ranking? The decision is in your hands."

Project Ethos does not have an official debut schedule or supported systems, but enthusiasts can look forward to further news as production progresses.