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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently developing the forthcoming third-person action-packed title known as this innovative game.

Management Shift Comes After Mixed Response

The new appointee takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming initial reveal last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated team members about this strategic move through an official communication, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had revealed the requirement for a distinct game identity.

The president noted that the developers is now reimagining Project Ethos with a revised vision, aiming to better meet community desires.

A Pattern of Key Hires

The news follows a similar action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise development group.

Here is the entire text from the president's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just finished your meeting - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a note, I stated the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and creative developers we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that partnership to endure.”

Through your commitment and versatility, especially over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.

The player input from last autumn’s the game testing phase was revealing. It confirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had refinements needed. It revealed the necessity for a sharper brand.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the criticism to heart and reimagined the title with a refreshed vision - one that’s ready to deliver on its promise to our fans.

The belief in this project strengthens every day. To boost the incredible development you’ve made, I’m excited to announce the new hire as the incoming Studio Head of 31st Union. After several months of talks, he comes aboard us on next week.

His management and background in the PVP shooter space is vast, having devoted the past decade and a half creating and leading some of the most recognizable titles in gaming, for example the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, Apex Legends.

Please join me in welcoming Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to continue observing the evolution of the game in the weeks to follow.

David

Background of the Incoming Head

The appointee presently holds the role of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, prior to that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Vision

The upcoming game was revealed in last year alongside a public demo. Initially, 31st Union portrayed the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an innovative step forward on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in real-time to fit your unique tactics," the game's pitch explains. "Challenge the competition with new abilities, stakes, and challenges that shift every round. Will you safely extract with your collected items? Or aim high, put it on the line, and trust your team can achieve the highest spot? The decision is yours."

Project Ethos has not yet received an confirmed debut schedule or platforms, but players can expect additional details as development progresses.