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The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the anticipated over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Shift Comes After Poor Reception

The new appointee assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's lackluster unveiling last autumn.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure notified team members about this decision through an internal memo, which stressed that playtesting had revealed the necessity for a distinct vision.

The president stated that the developers is now overhauling the project with a refreshed vision, aiming to satisfy community desires.

Trend of Key Recruitment

The news mirrors a comparable action taken by the publisher in the summer, when they brought on an industry veteran from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Below is the full content from the president's memo:

Team—

I understand you all just completed your gathering - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Previously I shared you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most dedicated and creative designers we have had the chance to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that relationship to persist.”

Through your commitment and versatility, particularly over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The player input from last autumn’s Project ETHOS demo was informative. It affirmed the potential of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the need for a clearer vision.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the criticism to heart and revamped Project ETHOS with a renewed direction - one that’s positioned to deliver on its ambition to our fans.

Our confidence in this project grows every day. To further the remarkable advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to announce the new hire as the new Director of the team. After a period of talks, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s guidance and expertise in the competitive gaming space is extensive, having spent the last 15 years creating and overseeing some of the most well-known franchises in gaming, including the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, Apex Legends.

Please join me in receiving him in the coming days. We are all excited to continue witnessing the evolution of the game in the weeks to ahead.

The President

Background of the New Head

Brinkman presently holds the role of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He previously was employed at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was unveiled in last year alongside a public demo. At the time, the developers presented the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an thrilling advancement on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to fit your unique tactics," the official summary reads. "Challenge the rivals with fresh skills, risks, and obstacles that change every match. Do you safely extract with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively take a risk, put it on the line, and pray your squad can earn top ranking? The option is up to you."

The game has not yet received an announced debut schedule or supported systems, but players can anticipate more updates as development continues.