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

Management Change Follows Mixed Feedback

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the dismissal of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's underwhelming early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified staff about this decision through an official communication, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had revealed the requirement for a more defined direction.

Ismailer stated that the developers is now refining Project Ethos with a refreshed vision, aiming to satisfy community desires.

A Pattern of Strategic Acquisitions

This announcement echoes a similar action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the entire text from Ismailer's announcement:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just completed your meeting - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Last time I shared you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented developers we have had the chance to work with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to persist.”

Through your commitment and versatility, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS playtest was informative. It affirmed the potential of a action-packed game but told us we still had refinements needed. It highlighted the requirement for a clearer vision.

It has been motivating to see how far you’ve come. You took the input to heart and overhauled Project ETHOS with a refreshed direction - one that’s poised to deliver on its promise to our fans.

The belief in this project increases every day. To further the outstanding progress you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome the new hire as the latest Studio Head of 31st Union. After several months of talks, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s leadership and expertise in the PVP shooter field is extensive, having dedicated the recent years developing and managing some of the most popular titles in the industry, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in greeting him in the coming days. We are all eager to continue witnessing the development of Project ETHOS in the time to come.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Leader

Brinkman currently holds the position of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had stints at other industry leaders.

Game Details and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in last year alongside a early access event. Then, the developers described the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative step forward on the category."

"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 reads. "Challenge the competition with new abilities, challenges, and obstacles that shift every match. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively take a risk, gamble everything, and pray your team can secure victory? The choice is yours."

The game has not yet received an official debut schedule or supported systems, but players can look forward to more updates as production advances.