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The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently working on the anticipated third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Change Comes After Poor Reception

Brinkman takes on the role of studio head at 31st Union following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster initial reveal last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated employees about this decision through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had shown the necessity for a distinct game identity.

Ismailer noted that the team is now overhauling the project with a revised approach, aiming to address gamer demands.

Trend of Key Hires

The news echoes a comparable action taken by the publisher in August, when they brought on an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

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

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just wrapped up your gathering - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the recent updates. Previously I sent you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most dedicated and creative developers we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to persist.”

Given your hard work and versatility, especially over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS testing phase was revealing. It confirmed the appeal of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It revealed the necessity for a sharper identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You embraced the criticism to consideration and reimagined Project ETHOS with a revitalized vision - one that’s positioned to achieve its ambition to our fans.

Our confidence in this project strengthens every day. To boost the incredible progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to welcome the new hire as the incoming Lead of the team. After a period of conversations, he starts with us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s management and experience in the competitive gaming field is considerable, having spent the last 15 years producing and leading some of the most well-known franchises in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in welcoming him in the coming days. We are all eager to continue witnessing the progress of the game in the time to ahead.

David

Experience of the Incoming Leader

The appointee presently serves in the position of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the iconic franchise games, and, earlier in his career, had stints at other industry leaders.

Game Information and Concept

The upcoming game was unveiled in October 2024 alongside a community playtest. Then, the developers described the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling evolution on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the official summary states. "Take on the competition with new abilities, stakes, and tests that evolve every round. Do you withdraw carefully with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively take a risk, risk it all, and hope your team can earn top ranking? The decision is in your hands."

Project Ethos does not have an confirmed release date or supported systems, but enthusiasts can anticipate more updates as development advances.