The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the anticipated over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.
Leadership Change Comes After Mixed Response
Brinkman assumes the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's disappointing unveiling last fall.
Recently, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified employees about this decision through an official communication, which emphasized that playtesting had indicated the need for a clearer vision.
Ismailer expressed that the developers is now reimagining the project with a revised focus, aiming to satisfy player expectations.
Trend of Key Recruitment
This announcement mirrors a comparable action taken by the publisher in the summer, when they recruited an industry veteran from Blizzard to contribute to the BioShock development group.
Below is the full message from Ismailer's communication:
Dear Team—
I understand you all just completed your town hall - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a update, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this group. You all are some of the most motivated and innovative developers we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that partnership to continue.”
With your dedication and flexibility, especially over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.
The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was enlightening. It confirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the need for a clearer vision.
It has been motivating to see how far you’ve advanced. You accepted the criticism to mind and reimagined the title with a refreshed direction - one that’s positioned to achieve its potential to our fans.
Our confidence in this project grows every day. To boost the incredible development you’ve made, I am thrilled to welcome Ben Brinkman as the incoming Director of the team. Following a period of talks, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.
His guidance and experience in the PVP shooter field is considerable, having devoted the past decade and a half producing and managing some of the most popular series in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.
Let’s together in welcoming Ben in the coming days. We are all excited to persist observing the progress of the game in the months to come.
The President
Experience of the New Leader
Brinkman presently holds the role of senior developer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, earlier in his career, had periods at other industry leaders.
Game Information and Concept
Project Ethos was unveiled in last year alongside a public demo. Then, the developers portrayed the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative evolution on the style."
"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in live gameplay to suit your personal playstyle," the official summary reads. "Face the competition with fresh skills, stakes, and challenges that evolve every match. Do you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or take a risk, risk it all, and pray your team can earn top ranking? The option is up to you."
Project Ethos lacks an official release date or platforms, but players can anticipate more updates as creation continues.
