The renowned publisher has secured a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to direct the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently developing the anticipated over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.
Leadership Transition Comes After Poor Feedback
The new appointee assumes the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to the game's lackluster early showing last autumn.
On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure notified staff about this organizational change through an internal memo, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the necessity for a clearer direction.
Ismailer expressed that the team is now overhauling the project with a revised vision, aiming to better meet community desires.
Trend of Strategic Hires
The news follows a similar action taken by the publisher in August, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.
Here is the complete text from Ismailer's memo:
Hello Everyone—
I know you all just wrapped up your meeting - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the positive developments. Last time I sent you all a update, I expressed the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most motivated and creative developers we have had the opportunity to work with - and we’re eager for that partnership to continue.”
Through your commitment and versatility, especially over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.
The community feedback from last fall’s Project ETHOS playtest was revealing. It confirmed the appeal of a action-packed game but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the requirement for a clearer brand.
The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You took the feedback to heart and overhauled Project ETHOS with a revitalized goal - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our players.
The belief in this project increases every day. To further the outstanding development you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome Ben Brinkman as the incoming Lead of the team. Following a period of discussions, he officially joins us on the specified date.
His guidance and expertise in the PVP shooter genre is vast, having devoted the last 15 years producing and overseeing some of the most well-known series in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, Apex Legends.
I invite you all in welcoming Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to persist seeing the development of Project ETHOS in the months to ahead.
David
Experience of the Incoming Leader
The appointee presently holds the role of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier was employed at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Game Information and Concept
The upcoming game was revealed in October 2024 together with a early access event. At the time, 31st Union described the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling step forward on the category."
"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the official summary reads. "Take on the competition with unique powers, risks, and challenges that evolve every match. Will you leave securely with your collected items? Or aim high, risk it all, and pray your squad can secure victory? The option is yours."
The game lacks an announced launch window or consoles, but fans can look forward to more updates as production progresses.
