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 upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.
Leadership Transition Comes After Poor Response
The new appointee steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' disappointing early showing last fall.
On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure updated team members about this strategic move through an official communication, which highlighted that playtesting had revealed the need for a clearer game identity.
The president noted that the team is now reimagining Project Ethos with a renewed vision, aiming to satisfy gamer demands.
A Pattern of Key Hires
The news mirrors a comparable move taken by 2K Games in August, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from Blizzard to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.
Below is the entire text from Ismailer's announcement:
Dear Team—
I understand you all just finished your gathering - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a update, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most driven and innovative developers we have had the chance to work with - and we’re eager for that relationship to persist.”
Through your commitment and flexibility, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.
The gamer responses from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was revealing. It confirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but told us we still had work to do. It revealed the requirement for a sharper vision.
It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You took the feedback to heart and overhauled Project ETHOS with a renewed goal - one that’s ready to fulfill its promise to our fans.
Our confidence in this project increases every day. To further the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I am thrilled to announce Ben Brinkman as the latest Studio Head of the team. Following a period of conversations, he officially joins us on next week.
His guidance and background in the PVP shooter space is considerable, having dedicated the last 15 years producing and overseeing some of the most well-known titles in the industry, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, the battle royale hit.
I invite you all in receiving Ben in the coming days. We are all eager to keep seeing the evolution of the game in the weeks to ahead.
The President
Experience of the New Head
The appointee currently serves in the role of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, prior to that, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Title Information and Concept
Project Ethos was revealed in last year together with a early access event. Then, the developers portrayed the title as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting advancement on the style."
"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Customize your character in real-time to suit your personal playstyle," the description reads. "Take on the competition with unique powers, challenges, and challenges that shift every match. Do you withdraw carefully with your hard-earned loot? Or take a risk, gamble everything, and hope your squad can earn top ranking? The decision is up to you."
The game does not have an announced release date or platforms, but players can expect further news as creation advances.
