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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently working on the anticipated over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Shift Follows Mixed Feedback

Brinkman takes on the role of studio head at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to the game's lackluster initial reveal last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated employees about this organizational change through an official communication, which highlighted that playtesting had shown the necessity for a clearer vision.

Ismailer expressed that the developers is now overhauling the project with a refreshed vision, aiming to better meet community desires.

Trend of Key Hires

The news echoes a similar move taken by the publisher in August, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise development group.

Here is the full message from Ismailer's announcement:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just finished your town hall - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Previously I shared you all a update, I stated the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most dedicated and creative creators we have had the pleasure to work with - and we’re looking forward for that relationship to continue.”

Given your hard work and versatility, especially over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

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

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the feedback to heart and overhauled the title with a revitalized direction - one that’s poised to fulfill its potential to our fans.

The trust in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To advance the outstanding development you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome the new hire as the latest Director of the team. After some time of conversations, he comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

His management and expertise in the PVP shooter genre is vast, having devoted the recent years producing and overseeing some of the most well-known franchises in the industry, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in greeting Ben soon. We are all excited to keep witnessing the evolution of the game in the weeks to come.

The President

Background of the New Leader

Brinkman presently holds the role of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, earlier in his career, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Details and Concept

Project Ethos was unveiled in last year together with a public demo. At the time, 31st Union presented the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling evolution on the genre."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the description reads. "Challenge the opponents with new abilities, challenges, and tests that evolve every match. Do you leave securely with your valuable rewards? Alternatively go big, gamble everything, and hope your group can secure victory? The decision is up to you."

Project Ethos does not have an announced launch window or consoles, but players can expect additional details as creation advances.