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The renowned publisher has appointed a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the anticipated over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Comes After Mixed Feedback

Brinkman assumes the role of studio head at 31st Union following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' disappointing unveiling last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure informed team members about this organizational change through an internal memo, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the requirement for a distinct direction.

The president stated that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a revised vision, aiming to better meet gamer demands.

Trend of Key Hires

The news echoes a comparable step taken by the publisher in the summer, when they brought on an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise development group.

Below is the full message from Ismailer's memo:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just wrapped up your meeting - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a update, I stated the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most driven and creative developers we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re excited for that relationship to continue.”

Given your hard work and flexibility, especially over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS playtest was informative. It confirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the need for a more distinct brand.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You took the feedback to mind and overhauled the title with a renewed vision - one that’s ready to deliver on its ambition to our fans.

The belief in this project grows every day. To boost the incredible advancement you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce Ben Brinkman as the new Studio Head of 31st Union. Following some time of discussions, he comes aboard us on next week.

Ben’s guidance and experience in the competitive gaming field is vast, having dedicated the past decade and a half creating and overseeing some of the most recognizable franchises in gaming, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in receiving Ben soon. We are all excited to keep witnessing the progress of Project ETHOS in the time to come.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Head

Brinkman currently serves in the role of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, prior to that, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Information and Concept

Project Ethos was unveiled in last year together with a early access event. Then, 31st Union described the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative advancement on the style."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the description explains. "Face the competition with new abilities, challenges, and challenges that shift every round. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or go big, risk it all, and pray your team can earn top ranking? The decision is in your hands."

The game lacks an confirmed launch window or supported systems, but players can look forward to additional details as development progresses.