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The renowned publisher has secured Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to oversee the development team at their internal studio, which is currently developing the forthcoming over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as this innovative game.

Leadership Change Follows Poor Feedback

Brinkman steps into the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of previous head Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to Project Ethos' lackluster unveiling last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure informed staff about this organizational change through an official communication, which emphasized that early feedback sessions had shown the requirement for a clearer game identity.

The president expressed that the developers is now overhauling Project Ethos with a refreshed approach, aiming to satisfy community desires.

Trend of Key Recruitment

The news echoes a similar action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they hired Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to contribute to the BioShock studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the entire message from the president's memo:

Team—

I know you all just completed your gathering - I hope you’re as thrilled as I am with the good news. Last time I sent you all a update, I stated the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most driven and talented developers we have had the opportunity to partner with - and we’re eager for that partnership to endure.”

Through your commitment and adaptability, especially over the last year, you repeatedly show that.

The community feedback from last autumn’s the game demo was enlightening. It affirmed the potential of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had work to do. It highlighted the need for a clearer identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You accepted the feedback to consideration and reimagined Project ETHOS with a renewed direction - one that’s positioned to fulfill its promise to our players.

The belief in this project increases every day. To further the incredible progress you’ve made, I am thrilled to introduce the new hire as the new Studio Head of 31st Union. After several months of conversations, Ben comes aboard us on the specified date.

His guidance and expertise in the competitive gaming genre is vast, having spent the recent years creating and overseeing some of the most popular titles in gaming, including Call of Duty: Black Ops, and most recently, the battle royale hit.

Let’s together in welcoming Ben next week. We are all looking forward to persist witnessing the progress of the game in the time to follow.

David

Experience of the Incoming Leader

Brinkman presently serves in the position of senior developer and production lead at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He previously was employed at Treyarch and Activision in various development positions on the Call of Duty series, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Game Information and Vision

The upcoming game was unveiled in October 2024 alongside a public demo. At the time, 31st Union presented the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective roguelike hero shooter and an innovative step forward on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch explains. "Take on the competition with new abilities, stakes, and challenges that shift every match. Will you safely extract with your valuable rewards? Or take a risk, put it on the line, and trust your squad can secure victory? The decision is yours."

The game does not have an announced debut schedule or consoles, but enthusiasts can anticipate further news as development advances.