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The renowned publisher has welcomed Ben Brinkman from Respawn Entertainment to lead the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently developing the upcoming over-the-shoulder roguelike extraction-shooter known as Project Ethos.

Management Transition Follows Lukewarm Reception

The new appointee assumes the role of studio head at 31st Union following the departure of former leader Michael Condrey, who was reportedly let go due to the game's underwhelming initial reveal last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive David Ismailer notified staff about this organizational change through an internal memo, which emphasized that playtesting had indicated the requirement for a more defined direction.

Ismailer expressed that the developers is now refining Project Ethos with a renewed approach, aiming to better meet community desires.

Trend of Strategic Hires

The news echoes a comparable step taken by 2K Games in August, when they recruited Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to assist with the BioShock development group.

Here is the entire message from Ismailer's memo:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just wrapped up your gathering - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Last time I shared you all a note, I expressed the following: “I believe in this crew. You all are some of the most driven and talented developers we have had the pleasure to collaborate with - and we’re eager for that collaboration to persist.”

With your dedication and adaptability, especially over the past twelve months, you continue to prove that.

The gamer responses from last autumn’s the game playtest was informative. It affirmed the potential of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had improvements to make. It uncovered the requirement for a more distinct vision.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve progressed. You embraced the feedback to heart and overhauled the title with a renewed vision - one that’s poised to fulfill its promise to our fans.

The trust in Project ETHOS increases every day. To further the remarkable development you’ve made, I’m excited to welcome Ben Brinkman as the latest Studio Head of the team. After several months of talks, he officially joins us on next week.

Ben’s leadership and expertise in the PVP shooter space is vast, having devoted the recent years creating and managing some of the most well-known franchises in the industry, for example the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in welcoming Ben next week. We are all eager to keep seeing the development of the game in the time to ahead.

David

Experience of the New Leader

The appointee currently holds the role of executive producer and head of production at the renowned studio for their flagship title. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse production roles on the iconic franchise series, and, prior to that, had periods at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Details and Concept

Project Ethos was revealed in October 2024 in conjunction with a early access event. Then, the developers portrayed the game as a "free-to-play, 3rd-person roguelike hero shooter and an exciting step forward on the genre."

"Build your perfect run—or die trying—in this 3rd-person action shooter! Customize your character in live gameplay to suit your personal playstyle," the official summary explains. "Challenge the rivals with fresh skills, risks, and challenges that evolve every session. Will you withdraw carefully with your collected items? Or go big, risk it all, and pray your group can secure victory? The option is up to you."

The game does not have an announced release date or supported systems, but fans can expect more updates as development progresses.