🔗 Share this article

The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to direct the studio crew at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the anticipated third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Comes After Poor Response

The new appointee takes on the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' underwhelming early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure notified staff about this decision through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had revealed the necessity for a clearer game identity.

Ismailer expressed that the developers is now reimagining Project Ethos with a revised approach, aiming to satisfy community desires.

A Pattern of Strategic Hires

The news echoes a similar action taken by the publisher in August, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the beloved franchise development group.

Here is the complete message from Ismailer's memo:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just finished your meeting - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the positive developments. Last time I sent you all a note, I stated the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most driven and creative creators we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re excited for that partnership to continue.”

With your dedication and flexibility, particularly over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The player input from last fall’s the game demo was informative. It affirmed the appeal of a action-packed game but indicated we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the requirement for a clearer vision.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve come. You accepted the criticism to consideration and reimagined Project ETHOS with a revitalized vision - one that’s ready to deliver on its ambition to our players.

Our confidence in this project grows every day. To boost the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to announce the new hire as the latest Director of 31st Union. After several months of talks, Ben comes aboard us on the specified date.

His management and experience in the competitive gaming space is vast, having dedicated the recent years developing and managing some of the most well-known titles in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and more recently, the battle royale hit.

Please join me in greeting him soon. We are all looking forward to keep observing the development of Project ETHOS in the weeks to come.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Head

The appointee currently holds the position of executive producer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He previously was employed at major gaming companies in diverse development positions on the iconic franchise games, and, prior to that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Information and Vision

The upcoming game was unveiled in last year in conjunction with a community playtest. Then, the developers presented the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an innovative step forward on the style."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in real-time to match your preferred approach," the official summary explains. "Take on the opponents with unique powers, risks, and tests that shift every match. Do you withdraw carefully with your collected items? Alternatively aim high, risk it all, and pray your group can secure victory? The option is yours."

The game lacks an official debut schedule or supported systems, but enthusiasts can expect additional details as production advances.