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The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently crafting the forthcoming over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Change Comes After Poor Reception

The new appointee steps into the role of studio head at the development studio following the dismissal of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure notified employees about this strategic move through an official communication, which emphasized that playtesting had revealed the necessity for a clearer game identity.

The president stated that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a refreshed focus, aiming to better meet gamer demands.

Trend of Strategic Recruitment

This announcement follows a comparable step taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the complete text from the president's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just completed your gathering - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the positive developments. Last time I sent you all a update, I stated the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented developers we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to continue.”

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

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS testing phase was informative. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had work to do. It highlighted the necessity for a sharper vision.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the input to heart and reimagined the title with a refreshed goal - one that’s positioned to achieve its ambition to our audience.

The belief in this project strengthens every day. To boost the remarkable advancement you’ve made, It is a pleasure to announce the new hire as the latest Director of 31st Union. Following some time of discussions, Ben starts with us on next week.

Ben’s management and background in the competitive gaming field is considerable, having spent the last 15 years developing and managing some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in greeting Ben soon. We are all excited to persist seeing the progress of the game in the time to ahead.

David

Experience of the Incoming Head

Brinkman currently serves in the role of executive producer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, before that, had assignments at other industry leaders.

Title Information and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 together with a community playtest. At the time, 31st Union described the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an innovative advancement on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the official summary states. "Take on the opponents with new abilities, challenges, and challenges that evolve every round. Will you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and trust your team can earn top ranking? The decision is in your hands."

Project Ethos lacks an official debut schedule or supported systems, but enthusiasts can anticipate additional details as creation advances.