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The renowned publisher has appointed Ben Brinkman from the creators of Apex Legends to lead the studio crew at their internal studio, which is currently developing the forthcoming third-person roguelike extraction-shooter known as this innovative game.

Management Transition Comes After Mixed Reception

The new appointee steps into the leadership position at 31st Union following the departure of former leader Michael Condrey, who was removed from his post due to the game's underwhelming unveiling last autumn.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure updated staff about this decision through an official communication, which highlighted that playtesting had shown the need for a clearer game identity.

The president stated that the developers is now refining Project Ethos with a refreshed focus, aiming to address player expectations.

A Pattern of Key Hires

The news echoes a similar action taken by the publisher in the summer, when they hired an industry veteran from the Diablo team to work on the beloved franchise studio Cloud Chamber.

Here is the entire message from Ismailer's announcement:

Hello Everyone—

I understand you all just completed your gathering - I trust you’re as excited as I am with the positive developments. Last time I sent you all a note, I mentioned the following: “I am confident in this team. You all are some of the most driven and innovative developers we have had the pleasure to partner with - and we’re looking forward for that collaboration to endure.”

Through your commitment and adaptability, particularly over the past twelve months, you consistently demonstrate that.

The player input from last autumn’s Project ETHOS testing phase was revealing. It affirmed the appeal of a roguelike shooter but indicated we still had refinements needed. It highlighted the need for a sharper identity.

It’s been inspiring to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the criticism to mind and overhauled the title with a refreshed direction - one that’s ready to achieve its ambition to our fans.

The belief in this project strengthens every day. To further the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce Ben Brinkman as the new Lead of 31st Union. After a period of conversations, he comes aboard us on Monday, October 20.

Ben’s guidance and experience in the competitive gaming space is considerable, having dedicated the past decade and a half producing and leading some of the most recognizable titles in gaming, including the acclaimed shooter, and lately, Apex Legends.

I invite you all in receiving Ben in the coming days. We are all looking forward to keep seeing the progress of the game in the months to follow.

The President

Experience of the Incoming Leader

The appointee currently serves in the role of senior developer and head of production at the renowned studio for Apex Legends. Brinkman earlier worked at Treyarch and Activision in diverse production roles on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had periods at other industry leaders.

Title Details and Concept

Project Ethos was announced in October 2024 together with a community playtest. Initially, the developers portrayed the game as a "free-to-play, third-person perspective action-packed experience 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 game's pitch explains. "Take on the competition with unique powers, risks, and tests that evolve every match. Do you leave securely with your hard-earned loot? Alternatively aim high, risk it all, and pray your squad can achieve the highest spot? The choice is in your hands."

Project Ethos has not yet received an official release date or consoles, but players can anticipate more updates as creation progresses.