The Gaming Giant Hires Popular Battle Royale Producer to Boost Challenged Hero Shooter Project Ethos

The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at 31st Union, which is currently working on the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Leadership Transition Follows Poor Feedback

Brinkman assumes the leadership position at 31st Union following the dismissal of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' lackluster early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure notified staff about this organizational change through an official communication, which emphasized that playtesting had revealed the necessity for a more defined game identity.

Ismailer expressed that the developers is now reimagining the project with a refreshed focus, aiming to address gamer demands.

A Pattern of Strategic Acquisitions

The news mirrors a comparable move taken by the publisher in August, when they recruited an industry veteran from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock development group.

Here is the full text from the president's communication:

Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your meeting - I trust you’re as enthusiastic as I am with the good news. Previously I sent you all a message, I mentioned the following: “I believe in this team. You all are some of the most dedicated and talented creators we have had the chance to work with - and we’re eager for that relationship to continue.”

Through your commitment and versatility, particularly over the past twelve months, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was enlightening. It affirmed the promise of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had refinements needed. It uncovered the necessity for a sharper vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve come. You took the criticism to consideration and overhauled the title with a refreshed vision - one that’s poised to deliver on its ambition to our players.

Our confidence in this project strengthens every day. To further the outstanding development you’ve made, I am thrilled to announce Ben Brinkman as the new Lead of 31st Union. Following several months of conversations, he comes aboard us on next week.

Ben’s guidance and experience in the competitive gaming space is vast, having spent the past decade and a half developing and overseeing some of the most popular franchises in gaming, for example Call of Duty: Black Ops, and lately, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in receiving him next week. We are all excited to continue observing the progress of the game in the time to ahead.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Head

Brinkman currently holds the role of executive producer and production lead at Respawn Entertainment for Apex Legends. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, prior to that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Vision

Project Ethos was announced in last year alongside a community playtest. Then, 31st Union presented the game as a "no-cost, 3rd-person 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 fit your unique tactics," the description explains. "Challenge the opponents with fresh skills, stakes, and challenges that shift every match. Do you safely extract with your collected items? Alternatively take a risk, gamble everything, and trust your team can achieve the highest spot? The choice is yours."

Project Ethos has not yet received an confirmed release date or consoles, but players can anticipate additional details as production progresses.