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The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Shift Follows Mixed Feedback

Brinkman steps into the role of studio head at the development studio following the departure of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' underwhelming initial reveal last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified staff about this strategic move through an official communication, which stressed that early feedback sessions had shown the necessity for a more defined game identity.

Ismailer expressed that the team is now overhauling the project with a renewed focus, aiming to address player expectations.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

The news follows a comparable move taken by the publisher in the summer, when they hired Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the full message from the president's communication:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just finished your town hall - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Previously I shared you all a update, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and creative developers we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to persist.”

Through your commitment and versatility, particularly over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The gamer responses from last fall’s Project ETHOS playtest was enlightening. It affirmed the potential of a action-packed game but indicated we still had refinements needed. It revealed the requirement for a more distinct identity.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the criticism to consideration and overhauled the title with a refreshed vision - one that’s positioned to deliver on its ambition to our players.

Our confidence in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To advance the outstanding progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce Ben Brinkman as the latest Lead of 31st Union. Following several months of discussions, Ben starts with us on next week.

His management and experience in the competitive gaming space is considerable, having dedicated the last 15 years producing and overseeing some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.

Please join me in greeting him next week. We are all eager to persist seeing the progress of Project ETHOS in the months to come.

David

Experience of the New Head

Brinkman currently holds the role of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He earlier worked at major gaming companies in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in last year alongside a community playtest. Then, 31st Union presented the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an innovative advancement on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the official summary reads. "Challenge the competition with fresh skills, challenges, and challenges that shift every match. Will you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or go big, gamble everything, and pray your team can achieve the highest spot? The option is yours."

The game lacks an announced debut schedule or supported systems, but players can anticipate further news as production progresses.