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The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently working on the anticipated over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as this innovative game.

Leadership Transition Comes After Poor Feedback

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer updated employees about this organizational change through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the requirement for a clearer game identity.

The president noted that the team is now refining the project with a renewed vision, aiming to satisfy player expectations.

Trend of Strategic Acquisitions

The news mirrors a comparable step taken by the publisher in the summer, when they brought on an industry veteran from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise development group.

Below is the full message from Ismailer's memo:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just completed your meeting - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Previously I shared you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this group. You all are some of the most driven and creative developers we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to persist.”

With your dedication and adaptability, particularly over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was enlightening. It affirmed the appeal of a action-packed game but indicated we still had improvements to make. It revealed the need for a more distinct identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the input to mind and revamped Project ETHOS with a revitalized goal - one that’s ready to achieve its potential to our fans.

The belief in this project increases every day. To further the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of 31st Union. Following some time of discussions, Ben comes aboard us on next week.

Ben’s leadership and expertise in the PVP shooter genre is considerable, having spent the recent years creating and overseeing some of the most recognizable series in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in welcoming Ben next week. We are all eager to keep observing the evolution of the game in the weeks to ahead.

David

Background of the New Leader

The appointee currently serves in the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, before that, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Game Information and Vision

The upcoming game was revealed in October 2024 together with a public demo. Then, 31st Union described the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling step forward on the genre."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch reads. "Challenge the opponents with unique powers, stakes, and challenges that change every round. Will you withdraw carefully with your hard-earned loot? Or go big, put it on the line, and pray your group can earn top ranking? The decision is yours."

Project Ethos does not have an announced launch window or platforms, but players can anticipate more updates as creation progresses.