The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.
Management Transition Comes After Poor Feedback
The new appointee takes on the role of studio head at 31st Union following the departure of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming initial reveal last fall.
On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure notified staff about this decision through an official communication, which highlighted that early feedback sessions had indicated the requirement for a distinct game identity.
The president stated that the team is now reimagining the project with a revised focus, aiming to address community desires.
Trend of Key Recruitment
The news follows a comparable action taken by 2K Games in August, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.
Here is the entire content from Ismailer's announcement:
Dear Team—
I know you all just finished your gathering - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the positive developments. Previously I sent you all a update, I expressed the following: “I believe in this team. 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 relationship to persist.”
Given your hard work and versatility, particularly over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.
The player input from last fall’s Project ETHOS playtest was informative. It confirmed the potential of a action-packed game but indicated we still had refinements needed. It highlighted the requirement for a clearer vision.
It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve progressed. You accepted the criticism to mind and reimagined Project ETHOS with a revitalized goal - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our audience.
The belief in this project grows every day. To advance the incredible progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce the new hire as the latest Lead of 31st Union. Following a period of talks, Ben starts with us on the specified date.
His leadership and background in the competitive gaming space is vast, having spent the past decade and a half producing and overseeing some of the most popular franchises in the industry, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, Apex Legends.
I invite you all in receiving Ben in the coming days. We are all excited to persist witnessing the development of the game in the time to follow.
David
Background of the New Leader
Brinkman currently serves in the position of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in various production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, earlier in his career, had assignments at 2K and Electronic Arts.
Title Information and Concept
Project Ethos was revealed in last year in conjunction with a public demo. At the time, 31st Union presented the game as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an innovative advancement on the genre."
"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in real-time to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch states. "Face the competition with fresh skills, risks, and obstacles that change every match. Will you leave securely with your valuable rewards? Alternatively take a risk, gamble everything, and pray your group can secure victory? The choice is yours."
Project Ethos has not yet received an confirmed launch window or supported systems, but fans can expect further news as production advances.
