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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently working on the forthcoming third-person action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Change Follows Poor Feedback

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of previous head the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' underwhelming unveiling last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer informed team members about this decision through an internal memo, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had indicated the requirement for a more defined vision.

Ismailer stated that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a refreshed approach, aiming to address player expectations.

Trend of Key Hires

This announcement mirrors a similar action taken by 2K Games in August, when they hired Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the beloved franchise development group.

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

Dear Team—

I understand you all just finished your gathering - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the positive developments. Previously I sent you all a note, 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 eager for that relationship to persist.”

With your dedication and adaptability, especially over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The player input from last fall’s the game testing phase was enlightening. It affirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the necessity for a sharper vision.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve progressed. You took the input to heart and overhauled Project ETHOS with a refreshed goal - one that’s ready to fulfill its potential to our players.

The belief in this project strengthens every day. To boost the remarkable development you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome the new hire as the new Director of the team. After some time of talks, Ben starts with us on Monday, October 20.

His guidance and expertise in the competitive gaming genre is vast, having spent the last 15 years developing and managing some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in receiving Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to continue seeing the development of Project ETHOS in the time to ahead.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Leader

Brinkman currently holds the position of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier worked at major gaming companies in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in October 2024 alongside a public demo. Initially, 31st Union presented the title as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an innovative advancement on the category."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the official summary states. "Challenge the opponents with new abilities, challenges, and obstacles that change every round. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or go big, gamble everything, and hope your group can achieve the highest spot? The option is yours."

Project Ethos has not yet received an official launch window or supported systems, but fans can expect additional details as development progresses.