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The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to oversee the development team at 31st Union, which is currently working on the upcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Leadership Shift Follows Lukewarm Response

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at the development studio following the exit of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' underwhelming unveiling last fall.

Recently, the company's top executive a key figure updated staff about this organizational change through an internal memo, which stressed that playtesting had revealed the necessity for a clearer direction.

Ismailer stated that the team is now overhauling Project Ethos with a refreshed vision, aiming to better meet player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Hires

The news follows a comparable action taken by the publisher in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from Blizzard to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the complete content from Ismailer's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I know you all just wrapped up your town hall - I hope you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the positive developments. Previously I shared you all a note, I stated the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and innovative developers we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that relationship to persist.”

Given your hard work and versatility, especially over the last year, you continue to prove that.

The player input from last fall’s Project ETHOS demo was informative. It affirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had improvements to make. It revealed the requirement for a clearer brand.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve progressed. You accepted the feedback to consideration and revamped Project ETHOS with a revitalized direction - one that’s positioned to achieve its potential to our fans.

The trust in Project ETHOS strengthens every day. To further the outstanding progress you’ve made, It is a pleasure to welcome the new hire as the latest Studio Head of the team. After a period of conversations, he officially joins us on next week.

Ben’s leadership and background in the PVP shooter space is vast, having dedicated the past decade and a half producing and managing some of the most popular franchises in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

Please join me in receiving Ben next week. We are all looking forward to persist witnessing the progress of the game in the weeks to follow.

David

Background of the New Leader

Brinkman presently holds the position of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the iconic franchise series, and, prior to that, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Details and Concept

The upcoming game was unveiled in October 2024 in conjunction with a community playtest. At the time, 31st Union presented the title as a "no-cost, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an exciting 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. "Challenge the opponents with new abilities, challenges, and obstacles that change every round. Will you leave securely with your collected items? Or take a risk, risk it all, and trust your team can earn top ranking? The choice is up to you."

The game lacks an official launch window or supported systems, but players can expect more updates as creation continues.