🔗 Share this article

The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at 31st Union, which is currently developing the anticipated over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Shift Follows Poor Feedback

The new appointee steps into 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.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure notified employees about this decision through an official communication, which emphasized that playtesting had indicated the need for a distinct vision.

Ismailer noted that the team is now refining the project with a renewed approach, aiming to satisfy community desires.

Trend of Key Acquisitions

The news follows a comparable step taken by 2K Games in August, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to work on the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the entire content from Ismailer's communication:

Dear Team—

I understand you all just completed your meeting - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the recent updates. Last time I sent you all a note, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and talented developers we have had the pleasure to work with - and we’re eager for that partnership to endure.”

Given your hard work and versatility, particularly over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s the game playtest was revealing. It affirmed the appeal of a action-packed game but indicated we still had refinements needed. It uncovered the necessity for a more distinct vision.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the feedback to mind and overhauled the title with a renewed vision - one that’s ready to achieve its ambition to our players.

Our confidence in this project grows every day. To boost the remarkable progress you’ve made, I’m excited to announce Ben Brinkman as the latest Studio Head of 31st Union. After several months of discussions, he officially joins us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s management and experience in the competitive gaming space is vast, having devoted the past decade and a half producing and overseeing some of the most popular franchises in the industry, including the acclaimed shooter, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

I invite you all in receiving Ben soon. We are all excited to keep witnessing the progress of Project ETHOS in the months to ahead.

The President

Experience of the New Head

The appointee presently serves in the position of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for their flagship title. Brinkman previously worked at major gaming companies in various production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, prior to that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Vision

Project Ethos was announced in last year in conjunction with a early access event. Initially, the developers portrayed the title as a "no-cost, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an innovative evolution 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 explains. "Face the opponents with new abilities, challenges, and tests that change every match. Will you withdraw carefully with your valuable rewards? Alternatively take a risk, risk it all, and trust your squad can secure victory? The option is up to you."

The game lacks an confirmed debut schedule or consoles, but fans can look forward to further news as creation progresses.