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The renowned publisher has welcomed a seasoned producer from Respawn Entertainment to direct the development team at 31st Union, which is currently crafting the upcoming over-the-shoulder action-packed title known as Project Ethos.

Management Change Follows Poor Response

The new appointee assumes the role of studio head at 31st Union following the dismissal of former leader the ex-Sledgehammer Games executive, who was removed from his post due to Project Ethos' lackluster early showing last fall.

On Wednesday, the company's top executive a key figure notified team members about this organizational change through an internal memo, which stressed that playtesting had indicated the need for a more defined game identity.

Ismailer noted that the team is now refining Project Ethos with a revised approach, aiming to satisfy gamer demands.

A Pattern of Strategic Acquisitions

The news echoes a similar action taken by 2K Games in the summer, when they brought on Rod Fergusson from the Diablo team to work on the BioShock development group.

Below is the entire message from Ismailer's communication:

Team—

I understand you all just wrapped up your town hall - I hope you’re as excited as I am with the good news. Previously I shared you all a update, I expressed the following: “I am confident in this crew. You all are some of the most motivated and creative designers we have had the opportunity to collaborate with - and we’re excited for that collaboration to persist.”

Given your hard work and versatility, especially over the last year, you consistently demonstrate that.

The player input from last autumn’s the game testing phase was informative. It validated the potential of a roguelike shooter but made clear we still had improvements to make. It highlighted the need for a sharper identity.

The progress is encouraging to see how far you’ve advanced. You embraced the feedback to mind and revamped Project ETHOS with a refreshed direction - one that’s ready to deliver on its potential to our audience.

The trust in this project increases every day. To further the outstanding advancement you’ve made, I’m excited to introduce Ben Brinkman as the incoming Studio Head of the team. After a period of conversations, he officially joins us on next week.

His guidance and background in the PVP shooter genre is vast, having devoted the last 15 years developing and managing some of the most recognizable series in the industry, such as the acclaimed shooter, and more recently, Apex Legends.

Let’s together in welcoming Ben in the coming days. We are all looking forward to continue seeing the evolution of Project ETHOS in the weeks to follow.

David

Experience of the New Head

Brinkman currently serves in the position of senior developer and head of production at Respawn Entertainment for their flagship title. He previously worked at Treyarch and Activision in multiple development positions on the Call of Duty games, and, before that, had stints at 2K and Electronic Arts.

Title Details and Concept

Project Ethos was unveiled in last year in conjunction with a public demo. Then, the developers portrayed the title as a "no-cost, third-person perspective action-packed experience and an exciting advancement on the category."

"Create your ideal gameplay session—or face defeat—in this engaging over-the-shoulder adventure! Build your hero in live gameplay to match your preferred approach," the game's pitch reads. "Take on the opponents with unique powers, challenges, and tests that change every round. Will you leave securely with your valuable rewards? Or take a risk, risk it all, and trust your group can earn top ranking? The choice is in your hands."

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