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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently developing the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Follows Lukewarm Reception

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster unveiling last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated employees about this organizational change through an official communication, which stressed that playtesting had shown the requirement for a more defined vision.

Ismailer expressed that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a renewed vision, aiming to satisfy player expectations.

Trend of Key Hires

The news follows a similar step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they brought on an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the BioShock development group.

Here is the complete message from Ismailer's memo:

Team—

I know you all just finished your meeting - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a note, I expressed 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 eager for that relationship to persist.”

Given your hard work and adaptability, particularly over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS testing phase was enlightening. It validated the promise of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It revealed the requirement for a clearer brand.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You accepted the feedback to consideration and reimagined the title with a renewed goal - one that’s poised to deliver on its potential to our audience.

The trust in Project ETHOS grows every day. To boost the remarkable development you’ve made, It is a pleasure to introduce the new hire as the incoming Lead of the team. After a period of discussions, Ben comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

His leadership and background in the competitive gaming space is considerable, having devoted the past decade and a half producing and managing some of the most popular titles in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.

Please join me in greeting Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to keep observing the evolution of the game in the time to ahead.

David

Experience of the New Head

Brinkman currently serves in the position of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He previously was employed at major gaming companies in multiple development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, before that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Vision

The upcoming game was unveiled in October 2024 alongside a early access event. At the time, the developers presented the title as a "no-cost, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an exciting advancement on the genre."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the description explains. "Face the rivals with new abilities, challenges, and challenges that evolve every round. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or aim high, risk it all, and trust your team can secure victory? The decision is in your hands."

Project Ethos has not yet received an official debut schedule or supported systems, but enthusiasts can expect more updates as development continues.